Alone in the World
by Ramona Bandicoot
Summary: When empty promises are the only thing that fills a thief's life, they can only truly feel alone in the world. Third story to 'Thieving Phantoms of the Opera.'
1. Chapter 1: Empty Promises

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 1! I don't plan on making this story as long as my last one but it'll be longer than 12 chapters so this won't end soon. And this is somewhat a sequel to Reunited. The story lines don't match but I'll make more sense to read that first before this. And like the last story the points of view will change but not as often, maybe 5 or 6 times and that's only because there are chapter that would make sense in that point of view but it'll be obvious who the narrator is. And this chapter is long but unfortunately they won't all be this long…but anyway, please read and review and let me know what you think! _

Alone in the World

Chapter 1: Empty Promises

Empty promises, my life is always filled with empty promises. No matter how hard I tried, I always managed to get involved with people who fill my head with promises that have no meaning behind them whatsoever. I sighed as I made this realization and flung my tail over the side of the building I was sitting on. I was perched on top of the building across from the Paris opera house, which was filled with people and music. It was annual that on the first day of December and until the January second, there was a party every night at the opera house to get ready for the holidays and then actually celebrate for the holidays. It was opening night and I was in no mood to try and cheer myself in that overcrowded party room. I cracked my back as I shifted in the in the half circle architectural design on the building. It was small enough for me to have my feet pressed flat against the opposite side while I was forced to rest my knees on my chest. I wiped my nose on the sleeve of my sweater before wrapping my arms around my knees and resting my head on my arms. I stared at the east balcony of the opera house, waiting to see if the rumors were true.

A little over three months ago Sly left to go call in a favor from one of their resources then go open something in Sly's family called 'The Cooper Vault' then come back to Paris. I talked to him the night before he left and he told me that he needed to talk to me after everything with the vault job was done. He said it was important and strictly between the two of us but he said he wanted to talk after the stress of his heist was over. Along with that, he said he had feelings for me that night. Granted it wasn't 'I love you' but it was pretty close. He told me that he had more feelings for me than my twin sister, but there were rumors that he was exclusively seeing her and he had even put down his cane and picked up and Interpol badge. If this was true, then he had broken three things. One was my trust since he said he had no romantic feelings towards Carmelita at all, two would be the face he crushed all feelings I had for him, and three was the Thief's Code. Every thief in the world, from petty to master, had to take the Thief's Code of Honor before stealing anything and rule number one was never, ever, become a cop.

I shivered as cold winter air blew through my fur. Even if it was cold, I was determined to find the truth behind these rumors before going home. I lifted my head and focused my vision on the balcony when I noticed two figures walk out into the nighttime air. And sure enough, it was Cooper and my sister. Even though I knew it was all true now, I still doubted it in my mind even as he grabbed her paws in his own and started talking. I was no lip reader and I couldn't hear them but I could piece together a base of a conversation but my sister's body language. She was normally a hard faced police woman but now she was giggling like a school girl and I could swear she was blushing. He was probably telling her that he had strong feelings for her and that she was an amazing woman of some other crap like that. I watched as they smiled at each other and she was pulled towards his chest. I shook my head at the sight and still doubted myself even though I knew the truth.

"Jealousy and hurt are two hard pills to swallow, Ramona." I rolled my eyes at the all too familiar voice and I glanced up to my visitor.

"You of all people should know what that feels like, don't you, Erik?" he nodded with smirk spread across his muzzle. Erik was a person I had come into contact with numerous times over the past few years. The raccoon was a thief like myself and was even and ex-boyfriend of mine, well, an ex-fiancé if one wanted to be technical and proper. I couldn't deny it; he was a good looking man, a _very_ good looking man, but with one exception on his face I could always overlook. He just had this tendency to be controlling at times; something I never found appealing in anyone.

"Indeed I do," he said as he leaned against the edge of the building near my feet, "However, I wasn't in denial like yourself." I scoffed at his comment.

"I'm not in denial, Erik. You just need to keep your nose out of other peoples' business." He dryly chuckled and shook his head.

"My dear," he mused, "When you live where I do, everyone's business is my business. I could tell you a few things about that man you have your eye on." He used his head to motion towards Sly. I briefly glanced to the ex-thief and watched as he smooth talked my sister. I rolled my eyes to meet Erik's and continued.

"How do I know this isn't a scam to get me to go crawling back to you?" I was the one who had ended our engagement and since then I'd been living with thoughts of him showing back up.

"Well, before I tell you anything you can always see for yourself," my eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he pointed towards the balcony with the fox and raccoon. I followed his finger and I felt like someone had shot me in the chest when I looked at the sight before me. Not even three months ago, I was the one he was holding close to his chest to give a kiss to but now, clear as day, he had his lying lips pressed against hers and my sister had moved in; just like she always did. I sighed and closed my eyes at the sight, not wanting to look at it anymore. I turned my head back towards my ex and opened my eyes.

"What do you know?" I asked softly. He sighed himself and briefly looked to the ground in an attempt to look apologetic.

"Like I said before," he said quietly, "Where I live, I hear many different things, but I'll start with things you know you're denying. To begin, when he went off for those few months, who followed him while you stayed here in hopes of him coming back to love you?"

"Carmelita." I muttered. I looked down and started picking at my fingernails. A habit I had picked up as a child when my father questioned me after I had done something wrong or needed to realize something.

"Exactly, now you know he uses pet names with the both of you, right?" I nodded, "But you know just as well as I do he only has one for you and numerous ones for her. In fact, I know you've heard him call your sister 'pretty lady'. If he loved you, would he do that?"

"I guess not," I mumbled softly. I heard him crouch beside my head and I only had to glance to my left to meet his gaze. He was close enough to where I could smell his cologne, a scent that always sent shivers down my spine.

"Now answer this," he continued, "Has he ever thanked you for getting him out of trouble?" I shook my head and he hummed briefly.

"That's what I thought," I let him gently stroke the top of my paw while he kept asking questions, "Now I know you were kidnapped a few months ago, and so did Cooper…eventually. Do you know who he noticed was gone first?"

"My sister?" he nodded and released my paw.

"If he loved you, don't you think he would have told you by now? I'm not talking about strong feelings; I'm talking about those three words every woman wants to hear. I. Love. You." He spelled it out for me and I shook my head.

"If he wasn't self centered like I think he is, why is he the leader in the _Cooper_ Gang? You and your brother and sister have been stealing just as long as they have and you don't have a team name. It's just the three of you with no title and yet your one of the top thieving gangs. Think about that." He was right, we'd been stealing things longer than they have and we don't want a team name.

"You were in a slump last year, but instead of helping you like anyone would have done, he helped plan his own heists to try and bump you from the top. In fact, when you were kidnapped a few months ago he wasn't even planning on saving you! He was going to steal things and eliminate you from the competition. It wasn't until your sister turned up missing that he got involved."

"Really?" I asked I figured that he had come to get us out of that because we were all missing; not just Carmelita.

"Oh yes," he nodded and tucked my nags behind my ears, showing off the left side of my face, "And like I've said before, I hear a lot of things where I live. But I heard him tell his turtle friend that he didn't love you or even have feelings for you. He only told you that to keep him on his side and under his thumb while he climbed to the top of the thieving ladder. He told his friends that you were nothing to him and that you were worthless and he was only using you. I heard him tell his friends that he didn't love you. He said that he would never love you and that you'd have to be the last woman on Earth for you to even have a chance with him."

"What?" I was feeling a combination of things. I was in disbelief that Sly would ever say that, but I found myself believing what Erik told me. I was crushed; I thought he was one man who loved me, but I was wrong. I was also enraged that he had gone for my sister, the one person who always had to steal happiness from me.

"I know, it's hard, but you need to know. He also said that your sister was smarter and prettier than you were." I shook my head but he nodded. He gently turned my face to face him and I allowed him.

"Now, you know I would never lie to you or make you want to feel bad, but there's more."

"Tell me, Erik, everything. I need to know." He sighed and continued.

"Ramona, he leads you on all the time so you won't be major competition and turn him into the cops. He doesn't love you and I think you know that, deep down you know that."

"No, that can't be true." He nodded and kept talking.

"But it is and you know that you and your sister aren't the only women he flirts with. You remember that Constable that your sister had as a partner a little over a year ago? She tried to kill him and he still flirted with her. He even asked her out on a date with dinner and dancing. Has he ever invited you to something like that?" I shook my head. It was true, we'd known each other forever but he had never asked me to go out anywhere besides a cup of coffee, but we always talked about plans when we did.

"He doesn't respect you, Ramona. He's called you a sneak so many times that I've lost count. If he loved you like you hope he does, would he call you that? He's told your sister that she was an absolutely amazing woman…has he ever told you that? For all the times he's kissed you, has he ever said that he's loved you? If he respected you and loved you like you think he does, then he would have told you a long time ago." I sighed and wiped my nose on my sleeve again.

"And here's another thing. He went to some random island and inherited money from all of his ancestors. A true thief doesn't collect, they earn. You of all people should know that my love." He winked quickly and I nuzzled my nose back on my arms. "And he's a snooper, my dear. The last time we talked, I left a note at your house. I poured my heart into that note and I know you, you would have talked to me but you never did. Did you ever get that note?" I shook my head.

"No, no I never got it." He nodded, "Are you saying he took it?" Erik nodded and cocked his head to the side. Half of his face was covered by the sudden shadows and I looked over his features that were visible. He was muscular but wasn't a body builder, but wasn't scrawny either. His fur was always clean, shining, and well groomed. He was never one to base things on looks but he was adamant about keeping clean, which I was glad he did so.

"Could you ever picture yourself with him, anyway?" I shook my head, "You know, I don't want to make this harder for you, but when I heard him say he was going to inherit his family's things and your sister was following…I knew they'd end up together. They flirt more than you think and I think that kiss just proved it. But," he said and I could see mischief in his eyes, "You know I would never do that to you. I would love you unconditionally. I know that what I've done in the past was wrong but I've changed. But, if you join me and become my thieving counterpart, I'd treat you like you were royalty. You'd be a queen and this entire city would be your kingdom. I'd let you know you were important and not just another woman. I'd never do anything to harm you or put you in danger like he does. I'd never take advantage of you, I'd let you know everyday that you were special, one of a kind, beautiful, smart, funny, and that you are an amazing thief. Ramona, my dear, join me and be my partner. We could do great things together and we wouldn't have to worry about those two." He pointed to my sister and Sly. His finger went in front of my nose and I caught another whiff of his cologne and I couldn't help but shiver. There was just something about that smell that intrigued me and attracted me to him.

I knew I still had feelings for Sly, but it was obvious that I had no chance with that two faced raccoon. I knew I didn't have feelings for Erik anymore…or did I? I'm the one who broke everything off with him, I'm the one who didn't want to be with him, but I was starting to feel attracted to him again. There was something about the way he talked, the way he moved, the way he smelled, they way he acted, the way he treated me that made me know that he was everything I wanted in a partner. He was a gentleman, he had manners, he was a strong believer in chivalry, he didn't flirt with every woman that passed by him. But he was so controlling that I couldn't be free with certain things. But then again, there was only one other person I've felt this way around and he was across the street and kissing my sister. Also, he said he had changed for the better. He would be the perfect man if he could get over being controlling. I had already forgiven him for the things he's done and I could possibly give him another chance; even though we've already tried twice to work things out.

"So," he asked after a moment of silence, "what'd you say? Will you join me in thieving and be my partner? You know just as well as I do that I'd treat you like a queen and respect you, my dear. And if it makes you feel better, I know you're brother and sister are starting to slow down on thieving but if they wanted to join us, they could." I shrugged and got up from my seat.

"I'll think about it." I mumbled before walking past my ex and heading for the side of the building. I stretched quickly before heading down the fire escape.

"Where are you going?" he asked after I was halfway to the ground.

"I need to go steal something!" I retorted back. I needed something to take my mind off of things and stealing something always did the trick; or at least it normally did. My feet landed on the ground with a thud and I headed for the local museum to steal something random, probably a gem or a figurine from something or another B.C. With most of Interpol at the part at the opera house tonight, it'd be easier to sneak away without getting chased, which I wasn't in the mood for. I didn't know if everything Erik had said was true but I wasn't in the mood to dwell on the situation anymore. I was already in a bad mood because of the rumors, in a worse mood because of seeing that they were true and furious about the supposed things Sly and said against me. I was quickly loosing respect for Sly and my sister while slowly starting to gain more respect for Erik.


	2. Chapter 2: Nowhere to Run

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 2! I don't really have that much to add so please read and review and let me know what you think. And please let me know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions etc. Thanks!_

Chapter 2: Nowhere to Run

I hummed quietly as I looked in the different glass cases that held various gemstones. Since most of the city was at the party, I had a large window of opportunity to steal something. I needed to clear my mind of everything Erik had just told me so I figured stealing something would help clear my mind. I cut the wires to the security cameras before I snuck in through an air vent. Granted, when the police figured out something had been stolen they would know it's me. Now that Cooper wasn't stealing things anymore, I was the only thief left in town that could actually pull off a heist successfully. The town was filled with petty thieves that got arrested daily but only two masters, well, one now. What I didn't get about the entire situation with Sly was the fact that he actually became a cop. Everyone in his family was a thief, he was a master thief at that, so why would he be come a cop? He's told me multiple times that he would never want to become a cop so why the sudden change of heart? Nothing seemed to make sense to me anymore and I was so tired of being confused.

I glanced into a case filled with a large blue star sapphire and I decided not to steal it. I already had multiple star sapphires in my collection and I didn't need another one. Whenever I stole jewels, I always considered it jewelry shopping. Since I was a high profile criminal, I couldn't go out and get the gemstones I wanted. I was never much of a preppy person but I loved looking at and collecting gemstones. I had a rather large stash at home that had a wide range of cut gemstones. Everywhere from topazes to sapphires to opals to diamonds; I had tons of them in my closet. Each stone was in a very small to container to keep them protected and I had padded boxes for the containers. I slowly weaved in and out of the cases, carefully looking over each gem and trying to decide which one to add to my collection. About half of the stones I own I inherited from my mother when she passed and the other half I acquired by stealing from museums like this. The stones were always high quality and cut by professionals.

Many of the stones I passed by I had already collected a sample of. The multicolored Australian opals, the Christmas tree green stones of a chrome diopside, the bright orange of a Mexican fire opal, the burgundy color of an anthill garnet, the red of Burmese ruby, the soft green of a peridot, and my favorite shade of blue from a London blue topaz. I loved the cases they had on Burma spinel and peony topaz. The spinels were in a range from soft pinks to light greens and the peony topazes were a gorgeous shade of red. I looked passed the tanzanite display and I turned to the drusy quartz sections. There were huge hunks of blue, orange, pink, silver, and blue stones that looked like they were covered in glitter. Each stone was beautiful but I had a case of them at home. I stared at the deep purples of an African amethyst and the light purple of a Rose de France amethyst. The golden citrines glistened in their display case and next to them sat the emeralds. One of my favorite stones was in the next display case. Morganite was a beautiful peachy color that I loved. The aquamarines were a soft blue color and they only had one small stone of it. The sapphires were always beautiful. Sapphires, along with topazes, came in every color of the rainbow. Reds, yellows, oranges, greens, blues, purples, and of course white.

The diamond display cases were next. The white diamonds were beautiful but the colored ones were even prettier. They also came in every color you could think of but the blue ones were the best looking ones in my opinion. They were beautiful but I had so many diamonds it wasn't funny. I kept walking and decided I'd make a 'purchase' of a few pearls. Granted they weren't gemstones but I loved them just as much. They had all kinds of pearls, classic white, classic colored, coin pearls, and everything else imaginable. They were all in one case and I figured I'd take them all and save the trouble of sorting and having to make up my mind. I opened my side pouch and pulled out my lock picking tools. I effortlessly opened the lock and put each pearl carefully in a locked box in my pouch. I snapped the lock shut on the box, carefully placed the wooden container in my pouch against, and secured my bag shut. I turned to leave and huffed when I noticed Carmelita standing a food ten feet away and of course, she had her shock pistol out in front of her.

"Freeze, Bandicoot." she said and I simply rolled my eyes. I crossed my arms across my chest and shifted my weight to my right foot before shooting back.

"I swear," I started, "are you physically incapable of calling me by my first name?" I was so sick if her trying to be so assertive when she was on the job.

"You're a criminal; you have no rights with me." I raised my upper left corner of my top lip in disgust and scoffed loudly.

"Oh really?" I sneered, "but certain other criminals have every right, huh?" she growled and she knew what I meant, "and do you just have no life outside of your job? I mean, you were just at the opera house party and you left just to arrest your own sister?" she had changed out of her dress and into her normal uniform.

"You're a criminal and you have to be put in jail. Now put your hands up." The narrowed her eyes and placed a finger over the trigger on her gun.

"No!" I shouted, "I'm so sick of you trying to be assertive around me! That and the fact you can't help but steal everything and _everyone_ from me. I swear you're just like Mamá!" I waved my paw in the air and turned to make my escape.

"And you're just like Papí, Ramona," I stopped in my tracks and perked my ears, "At least I'm capable of finding someone who loves me. You and Papí are the ones who can't sustain a relationship."

"Excuse me?" I hissed at I turned to face my sister. I narrowed my eyes, pressed my ears against my skull, and started to let my fur tail bristle.

"You heard me, chica, and you know it's true." She shot back. I growled and clenched my fists. She knew how to push my buttons and she was pushing them fast.

"Why don't you say that again?" I threatened. There was nothing more that I wanted to do than rip her bald but since she was on the job I couldn't.

"Alright," she said proudly, "You can't sustain a relationship. You can't even get a boyfriend, Ramona!"

"That's because you steal every potential one that comes my way! You always take away anyone who might be good for me; even as kids!" I roared.

"Oh please!" she snorted, "They've never gone for you! They're always gone for me and you just happened be in the way!" that was it, I reached my boiling and I was ready to snap.

"Screw you, Carmelita!" I screamed, "Screw you and that two-faced thief that's shacked up with you, you conceded witch!" I growled, crouched, and leapt to the opposite of the room. I bolted down the hallway and my sister quickly followed, firing off shots left and right.

I bounded down the hallway on all fours, letting my anger fuel my escape. My sister and I usually argued like this, however the only time we worked together is when we were pitted against a common enemy. She screamed at me to freeze and I only ran faster. I jumped and used my claws to climb a wall up to the skylight. I weaved in and out of paintings, artifacts, and my sisters' bullets while ascending the wall. I used my fist to break through a window in the skylight and make my escape. I climbed out onto the roof and left my sister inside the building and I scampered across the roof. I slid down the backside of the large building and let out a growl as my feet thumped on the ground. I stepped away from the building and took off down the street and headed for my apartment. I knew I'd only be a matter of time until police cars would be everywhere and I wanted to get out of dodge before I was caught. I felt the cold night air whip my hair around my face as I ran and was ready to go home. I rounded and corner and quickly slid to a stop when my eyes landed on another uniformed officer; one I actually dreaded meeting.

"Freeze!" the officer shouted towards me, his shock pistol held out in front of him. It was dark but the moonlight gave me just enough illuminations to see. The light reflected off his badge and his rank of Constable. The blue Interpol uniform made me cringe and it was still hard to believe that a thief, one that I trusted with every fiver in my body, was now on the other side of the law and was actually standing in front of my and trying to arrest me at gunpoint.

"Cooper?" I questioned. I watched as he put a finger over the trigger of the gun and stood his ground, "What are you doing?" he shook his head.

"That's Constable to you!" he shouted back, "Put your hands up, Bandicoot!" I stared at the gun he had pointed in my direction and I needed to think of a way to distract him. He could run just as fast as I could so if I simply ran he could catch up with me.

"Why are you even a Constable? You're a thief, not a cop! A thief, Cooper, a thief!" I shouted at him. He shook his head and re-gripped his gun.

"I told you Bandicoot, that's Constable! Now put your hands up!" he shouted again. My tail fluffed in frustration, he was turning into my sister.

"No!" I shrieked, "And I don't care if you're the President of the United States! You have a name and I'm not calling you by some government given title!"

"Fine!" he replied, "But put your hands up or I'm shooting!" I growled at his threat and kept my ground.

"I dare you!" I screamed, "And I will tell you, you shoot me and I will beat you down, Cooper!" I narrowed my eyes but my ears perked when I heard footsteps behind me.

"You do that and I'll shoot and get you for battery on an officer!" Carmelita shouted from the no longer open end of the alley, "Now put your hands up, Ramona!" I looked to my sister behind me then back to Sly who was in front of me. I was surrounded on both sides by a brick wall and two officers closing me in. I was stuck with nowhere to run. My eyes quickly looked around for an escape route. I normally would pull out a smoke bomb but since Sly had his eyes glued to my every move, he'd pull the trigger before I could even touch a smoke bomb. Carmelita took a few steps towards me and I waited until she was a foot or two behind me before making my move. I quickly ducked, turned towards my sister, and ran underneath her arms. I pushed her forward so if Cooper shot, the electricity would hit her and not me. I rounded the corner and took off down the street with Sly and Carmelita close behind me.

I flew down the streets as fast as my feet could carry me which was fast enough to get away from my sister but not Cooper. Before he turned into a cop, he always spent his time running away. He was a fast runner and he could easily catch up to me; which he was. Thankfully he wasn't shooting just yet but I wasn't comfortable with him being this close behind me. I spotted an alley a few feet ahead and I planned to use it as an escape route until my sister slid out from it with her gun pointed. I momentarily panicked and branched to the right and across the street. I heard a bullet whiz by my head and knew it was from my sister; she never could aim that well. The bullet impacted the side of a building and I ran as fast as I could. I could hear sirens getting closer and I was running out of options. I ducked into an alleyway and kept going. Carmelita was starting to fall back but Sly was still going strong. It didn't take long for him to figure out where I went and follow close behind me. I spotted a fire escape at the end of the building and I took up to the roof. I could hear Sly's uniform boots slam against the metal rungs of the fire escape ladder. I had planned on getting to the roof of this building then simply jump from rooftop to rooftop until I managed to slip away from Cooper. The streets were filled with officers so the streets weren't an option. I reached the roof and sprinted to the other side and groaned when I realized it would be a long jump to make. In my brief moment of thought, Sly had made his way to the roof and had me at gunpoint when I turned to face him.

"Put your hands up, Ramona." He huffed out. He was obviously tired of running but I wasn't giving up.

"What happened to you?" I asked as I looked over his uniform again, "Just over three months ago you were a thief and now you were a thief and now you're a cop! You broke the Code Cooper, and you know that!" he shook his head and got a better grip on his shock pistol.

"Put your hands up," he repeated, "Or I will shoot!" I scoffed and shook my head.

"I dare you, _Constable_!" I hissed out. I didn't believe he would actually shoot until I ducked to avoid earning a bullet to the chest. Instead, it was faster than I expected and I was grazed on the left shoulder. I quickly hissed and clutched my arm. I didn't have a bullet and it wasn't a graze but I did have a heat burn that stung like a hornet and had ripped a hole in my sweater.

"You shot me!" I screeched, "You shot me!" I repeated. I didn't dwell on out conversation any longer. He had changed and for the worse. I turned and leapt for the next building. I fell short and frantically tried to get a grip on the lip of the roof of the opposite building. I eventually pulled my self up and ran. I jumped from building to building and had tears streaming down my face. It wasn't from the burn that was now bleeding and it wasn't from the fact the police were closing in. it was from the face that someone who I trusted will all my heart and knew I had feelings for, had just shot me in an attempt to get me arrested.

The next building was too far away for me to jump to so I had no choice but to slide down to ground level. I leapt over the lip of the building and slid to the ground. My arm was burning but I wasn't worried about that at the moment. My focus was getting out of my current situation. I could hear my sister start to catch up to me again along with a few other officers; two of them being Nick and Carlos. My feet pounded against the ground as I ran and I was quickly running out of places to run. My legs were burning from running and my lungs were on fire. I was starting to slow down and I knew if I did then I'd be caught. My running was getting sloppy as I kept failing to get a good breath of air. I finally had to stop briefly to catch a breath but I was open to getting caught. Which was the first thought that went though my mind as I felt someone grab my good arm and swiftly yank me into an alleyway. I started to put up a fight until I caught a whiff of his cologne and knew it was Erik. I had a quick flashback of when I had a very similar situation when I first met Sly as an adult a few years ago. Carmelita had shot me in the paw and Sly pulled me into an alley and we recognized each other. But now, Sly was the one who shot me and Erik was the one to meet me in the alley. He turned me so I could face him and I hissed when he accidentally brushed against my burn. He looked over it briefly and placed my sweater part over it to avoid doing it again.

"Listen," he whispered, "I'll get these cops off your tail; you just go somewhere safe." I nodded and opened my mouth to say something to him but he let me go and went to hash things out with the officers perusing me. I'd thank him later but now I took off towards the other end of the alley. I couldn't go home since the police were still on my tail but my brother's house was close by. Even though it was close to two in the morning, he'd still be awake. He was nocturnal and awake late into the night, which helped us on heists. His apartment building was similar to mine and had a sliding glass door on the outside. I finally reached the building and started climbing on the walls. I pulled myself up onto the balcony of his building and started beating on the glass in an attempt to get his attention. I kept beating and beating on the glass until he finally came to the door. He made eye contact with me and quickly slid the door open. I had gotten halfway inside his apartment until I fell forward onto his chest and allowed my emotions get the better of me and I let tears stream from my eyes and onto his shirt.


	3. Chapter 3: A Harsh Realization

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 3! I know it's not as long as chapter 1 and 2 but it did break 2,200 words so I'm pretty pleased with the length. I'm trying to reach a goal of making my chapters longer and I'm also trying to put more emotion in them. But other than that I don't really have that much to add so please read and review and let me know what you think so far. Thanks!_

Chapter 3: A Harsh Realization

"Sit down, Ramona," my brother grunted as he pulled me into his apartment, "Sit down." He sat me down on the love seat he had in front of the sliding glass door and shut the door. I bit my lip in an attempt to stop crying and it worked. I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes and wiped my nose on my sleeve. My arm stung and the yellow color of my sweater was now red with blood. The electric bullet singed the fur, burned the skin underneath, and after running and Erik's accidental brush over it, the skin had peeled away and it was bleeding slowly.

"What did you do?" Sitka asked as he knelt next to me. He moved the stray piece of sweater from my wound and looked over it.

"I got shot and stabbed in the back." He shook his head and I growled as he brushed against my blistering shoulder.

"Carmelita's got a temper," he muttered, "You of all people should know that." I shook my head quickly and pulled my arm away as he stood and went to get a few bandages for my arm.

"It wasn't her," I lowered my head. I picked at my nails as I sat alone in my brother's living room.

"Who was it Ramona? I want a name and I will figure it out." He shouted from the bathroom.

"It was Cooper." I heard him drop a few things out of his medicine cabinet in his bathroom and his head shot out from the edge of the wall.

"_He _did that to you?" he shouted. I groaned mentally and knew that the next time Cooper saw my brother than Sitka was more than likely going to beat him to a pulp.

"Well…yeah," I said slowly but Sitka interrupted.

"When you two first starting doing jobs together I told him that if he ever did anything to hurt you, physically or emotionally, that I would kill him." The word 'kill' was a strong choice but I knew my brother and whenever he used that phrase, he meant viciously beat and not actually kill him, "Now he's shot you and stomped your heart into the ground; next time I see him, he's talking to me." I sat still as he worked on cleaning and wrapping my shoulder in a bandage.

"You'll have to get him when he's out of uniform, Sit." He glanced up quickly and finished tying off the knot on my bandage, "He's untouchable when he's got it on." He sat down beside me and knitted his eyebrows together.

"Alright," he said, "Start talking. What's going on?" I sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know everything, but he's working at Interpol and more than likely dating Carmelita. That's about it."

"That I knew. There was an article in the paper about him today. Apparently, he's got himself a case of amnesia. According to our sister, when she went to bust him a few months ago there was some sort of altercation and a long story short he hit his head and had no idea who he was. She took him back to the Interpol station and he's got a job as a Constable. Now, if you actually believe what she says is a different story."

"Amnesia?" I asked, "That's the biggest crock of crap I've heard. He doesn't have amnesia, Sitka. After dealing with him tonight I know that's a lie. He knows who I am, he knows what he's doing, and he knows everything he's doing." I sighed, "If they're spreading that rumor then there's no telling what else he's lied about." I was starting to think that what Erik told me was true.

"What happened tonight?" he asked calmly. I started picking at my fingernails again as I thought about my heist gone wrong.

"I was sitting on that building across from the opera house and I wanted to see if the rumors were true. I had heard that he was working at Interpol now and I just wanted to verify it. But while I was waiting Erik came up-" Sitka cut me off.

"Ramona, don't you get involved with him again. You know something bad happens every time you do. He's bad news Ramona, bad news. You'd be better off trying to work things out with Cooper." I shook my head and stood.

"Well I'm not going to be able to work things out with him, Sitka! He's two faced and a liar and he broke the Code! You don't break the Code and every thief knows that and so does he! And with Carmelita's training she knows about the Code and its rules; she knows you can't break it. She's doing this to get back at me and you know it. She knows that I love him and that he told me he had returned feelings for me after we got back from Cortex's castle. But instead of letting me have this one opportunity at finding someone who might love me back she takes him away from me! Just like she always does!" I could feel the tears start to form behind my eyes and I was only a few seconds away from being a crying mess.

"Ramona, things happen for a reason-" I shook my head and the tears started flowing from my eyes like a water hose on a hot day.

"You've been telling me that things happen for a reason since Daddy died but I don't understand anymore! You tell me his after everything bad but I don't get it, Sitka!" I shouted while tears streamed down my face, "If things like that didn't happen everything would be alright! If Daddy wasn't killed then we would have had a normal childhood! If Mom wasn't the evil woman she was we wouldn't have been in the orphanage! If we weren't kidnapped and altered by Cortex, we would be normal and not a freak of nature! If we weren't altered then we wouldn't have had to live on the streets! We could have been normal, Sitka! We wouldn't need to be thieves!" yelling and I knew what I was saying, well, screaming, but I didn't think Sitka did. M y words were lost between me shouting and gasping for breath as I kept crying, "Look at Carmelita; she had the same childhood as us but because everything that happened to her wasn't as bad, she was successful! All her life she has had things handed to her! She has the looks, she had the brains, and she can have anyone she wants but instead she takes the one person I thought truly cared for me! She took him away and turned him into a cop! I don't have anyone to go to when I want to be loved anymore! Everything good in my life had been taken away from me and handed to her on a silver platter! It's not fair, Sitka! I can't take it anymore! I understand that you and Charlotte want to slow it down and do something else but I'm starting to have the same feeling and I don't like it! I've been a thief my whole life, it's the only thing I know how to do and I can't just stop but I have to! Now that he's a cop, they can outsmart me and they have! I have to resign as a thief but I don't want to, Sitka, I don't want to! But I don't know what to do anymore! My life is falling apart at the seams and I'm so confused! I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!" I screamed and that was the breaking point for me. I fell forward and landed on my brothers' chest with a thud and he caught me as I kept crying. For the first time in my life, I cried in front of my brother.

I clutched his shirt with my paws and kept crying. I felt absolutely horrible; the worse I have ever felt. I knew there was no way I could keep thieving if Sly was a cop. He didn't have amnesia so he knew everyone of my tricks. He knew how I entered buildings, he knew how I exited, he knew what days I stole, he knew what I could and couldn't handle, and I couldn't handle was someone who knew all my tricks. And if he worked with Carmelita then they would be unstoppable. I'd be out of a job and in jail in a matter of one simple heist. If Erik hadn't gotten them off my tail tonight then I would have been arrested tonight. There was only one solution…I'd have to resign as a thief. Something I would permanently regret doing for the rest of my life. My brother gave me a tight hug and sighed.

"Listen, you don't have to stop being a thief. What I want you to do is calm down and take a break from stealing things for a few days. Give me a few days and I'll talk to Carmelita, beat some sense into Cooper, and things will go back to normal. Just promise me to stay away from Erik. He's a dangerous person, Ramona. Can you do that, just for a week or two?" I pulled away and nodded. I wiped my nose on my sleeve and walked to the door I had come in by.

"I'm going home." I muttered simply before stepping out onto the balcony and jumped from the metal structure. I free fell and landed on the top of a dumpster below.

"Just keep on the down-low for a while Ramona!" Sitka shouted behind me. I waved in acknowledgement and ran off for my apartment. Things had started to die down from the police and I kept running. With a combination of the wind on my face and the combination of tonight's current events, I couldn't help but start crying as I ran.

I felt like a complete pansy as I kept crying but I couldn't help it. My emotions were torn up on the inside and I just wanted to go to bed and cry until things were better or I just simply died of loneliness. It honestly felt strange and almost wrong to show my emotions like this. When I was growing up, I was always taught that crying was a form of weakness and since we were Bandicoot's and tough, we just didn't cry. And I stuck to my guns about not crying but my current situation made me feel horrible. I ran faster and faster until I reached the front doors to my apartment building. I ran through the front door and took the stairs to my floor; not wanting to break my stride. I reached my level and ran to my front door. I opened it swiftly, slammed it shut after I was inside and didn't even make it to the couch before sinking to my knees. My eyes closed as hot tears streamed out of them fiercely. I gasped in a breath before falling forward and howled out a sob. It was hard for me to believe that my own twin and the man I loved were the cause of my unnatural behavior but it was true.

My chest hurt, it was hard to breathe, I was shaking, my skin was hot, my burn wound hurt like a stab wound, and my heart felt like it had been smashed into a million pieces. I was hurting emotionally and I just wanted to curl up and die. I sucked in another breath before I blacked out from lack of oxygen and kept crying. Despite my emotional tantrum, I wanted to be alone, ignored by everyone, but I wanted to be loved by someone. All my life I had grown up dreaming of the day I would find a man who loved me but when I thought I had finally found that man, he betrayed me and went to my sister. What was wrong with me that repelled every man away from me? Was I just that unlovable? Was I just that horrible of a person to where I couldn't find one person who would want to be with me? My forehead hit the floor and I howled out another cry. My crying was muffled by the carpet but it was loud as a bullhorn to me. I wrapped my arms around my sides in an attempt to keep my sides from burning but it wasn't working. I was an emotional wreck and I wanted to stop crying but I couldn't. I kept crying as the harsh realization of my life kept hitting my brain. I had to give up my passion, my sister stole the man I love, and the man I loved had betrayed me.


	4. Chapter 4: Help Me Say Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 4! Again, I don't really have that much to add so please read and review and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 4: Help Me Say Goodbye

I had been five days since Cooper shot me and I had only moved from my couch about two dozen times. I just stayed there, sprawled out on my back, staring up at the ceiling, and refusing to change out of my pajamas. I was losing weight like crazy since I had only eaten maybe four times and it wasn't anything big, maybe a cookie or a slice of pizza. I had dropped from ninety eight to eighty something and I was still loosing. I didn't have an appetite and I didn't have the will power to do anything. Along with doing nothing for five days, I had cried almost every hour of each day. I had to face it, I was depressed. I hadn't smiled or laughed in over a week and frankly I didn't want to. I didn't know what to do or what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Since my sister had recruited Cooper to be an officer, my thieving career was down the toilet. He knew all my moves and his excuse of amnesia was a pathetic attempt to get closer to my sister. I sighed and only moved my ears when I heard my front door squeak open then close. My brothers' footsteps were muffled by my carpet but due to my trained ear, I still heard him enter. I still stared up at my ceiling even as my brother looked down at me and sighed. He shook his head and nudged my leg with his foot. I stayed in my position and kept my week long streak of silence.

"How long have you been laying there?" he asked after making eye contact with me.

"Since I got back from your house, like a week ago." I mumbled. My brother shook his head again and started a scolding session.

"Ramona, you can't stay in your house all day and do nothing. When was the last time you ate something?" he asked.

"What day is it?" I raised an eyebrow and turned to my side. He scoffed and sat me up. I looked up to my older brother and slumped forward.

"Ramona," he groaned, "I don't care what our sister did and I don't care what Cooper did," he pointed a finger at my nose, "But you cannot mope around your apartment all day and feel sorry for yourself. If you do that then you're going to be depressed. Now, get up off the couch, eat something, take a shower, put on some fresh clothes, and do something productive. I'm going to the Interpol station and I'm talking with Carmelita. If the two of you can talk things out you'll feel better," he paused, "And if I see Cooper," he added and I looked up, "I'll beat him up for you." He winked and playfully nudged my jaw with his fist. I smiled briefly and nodded before watching him leave. He closed my front door firmly and I slumped back on the couch. I had just showered a few hours ago so I wasn't planning on taking a shower and I wasn't hungry for anything.

I did decide to get up and walk around for a little bit so I stood from my couch. I made the incredibly short journey from my living room to my bedroom before flopping down on my bed. I reached up and clicked my bedside light on before glancing around my room. It was small but it was my own. I had my bed pushed against the far left corner of my room to it touched the wall on two sides. I had a small window towards the foot of my bed and a bench pressed against the foot of my bed. I had a few throw blankets folded on the bench but my bed was covered in a relatively large feather downed comforter. It kept me warm during the winter months and I certainly needed them now that I was getting colder in Paris. I looked to my bedside table and my eyes locked on to the wooden music box my father gave me when I was a kid. I pulled it off the table and placed it in my lap. I traced my finger slowly over the engraving of my name in the dark wood and sighed. My father had given me the music box two weeks before he died and I kept everything in it. The music part of the box was on top but you could lift that part out and it was a little container that I kept things from my childhood in. There were mainly pictures, my fathers' wedding ring, necklaces, and other random things that had value to me. I opened the lid of the box and a little ballerina lifted up out of the box and the tune started to play. It wasn't until now that I realized it was the same tune from 'Masquerade' from the Phantom of the Opera but it still reminded me of my father. The sing ended and I pulled up the music component of the box and placed it gently on the bed.

I started pulling out the trinkets out of the box and carefully looked over each one. The first thing my fingers brushed against was his wedding ring. He had given it to me after my parents divorced and it was one of the few things I had that had belonged to him. I slowly spun it in my fingers on the ring, feelings the smoothness of the white gold and the cool feel of the metal on my fingertips. I replaced it and pulled out a handful of pictures next. They were small enough to fit in the box but they were old. I had kept them inside my music box for almost twenty years and I only took them out on certain occasions. I flipped through the pictures slowly and stopped when I saw my favorite one. The corners of my mouth curled upwards slowly and I traced my finger over the edge of the picture. It was nothing major but it was always something I smiled at, no matter how depressed I was. It was taken shortly before my parents divorced; when everything in my life was simple. The only two people in the photos were my father and myself. I was only about four or five and I had no idea my fathers' age. The two of us were sitting on the couch, reading a book, and everything was happy. He was looking down at me, his arm around my childlike shoulders, and smiling. I was curled up next to my fathers' side, reading the book with him, and laughing. It was nothing major but it was the only photo I had of just the two of us. I put the photo down when I could feel hot tears start to well up in my eyes and crying was the last things I wanted to do.

I started putting the things back in the box when I realized how late it was getting. It was already dark and it was starting to get cold in my room. I closed my music box completely and pulled the covers back on my bed. I crawled underneath and got comfortable before turning off my lamp. I surrounded myself in my blankets until I was in almost a cocoon of blankets but I could still breathe. I didn't know what I was going to do about Cooper and my sister but I didn't want to think about it. Unfortunately, that was the only thing I could think about for the past five days. I groaned and turned so I faced the wall. I sighed and spun a curl of hair around my finger. I could feel my eyelids start to get heavy and they eventually closed. Despite the face they were closed, I was still aware of my surroundings. It had only been a few minutes until I started to hear a faint voice in my room. I propped myself up on my arm and the sounds stopped. I looked around my room but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I sighed and curled back into a ball. I closed my eyes again and I could hear the voice again. I kept my head down and listened to see if I could understand any words.

"Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams. Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before. Close your eyes…let your spirit start to soar. And you'll live as you've never lived before..." I shot up out of bed when I recognized the tune. I shifted my covers and turned around to face my door. I still didn't see anything suspicious and I settled back down. I kept my eyes opened as I listened for anything else. Everything was silent when I kept my eyes open. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was getting antsy. After another thirty minutes passed and nothing happened, I closed my eyes in an attempt to sleep.

"Let your soul take you where you long to be! Only then can you belong to me..." I stayed in my seat this time. I knew the voice all too well and I knew what would happen eventually. I sat up from my bed and the wheels started turning in my brain. I kicked my feet out of my bed, turned on the bedside land, and pulled the drawer open in my bedside table before I pulled out a match. I usually kept a box of matches in my room so I wouldn't have to run and search for them when the power went out. I usually kept candles in my room as well but this match wasn't for a candle. I got up out of bed and headed for my closet. I opened the door silently and parted my clothes. My eyes landed on the old mirror in the back of the closet and I sighed before reaching forward and pushing the glass open. The door slid open slowly and I grunted as I had to forcefully push it open. I stepped halfway into the passageway behind the mirror. I ran the end of the match across the stones and it lit with a spark. I held the small flame in my fingers and used it to light the torched perched on the wall. The oil quickly accepted the flame and soon the passage way was painted in golden light. I looked back into my room and realized I would need shoes.

I quickly stepped into a pair of black flats and entered the passageway. I grunted as I lifted the torch out of the holder and held it with both hands. I walked forward slowly to avid blowing out the flame. I walked forward, fully aware of what I was doing, and I peered over the edge of the spiral staircase quietly. I started making my way towards the staircase and I took everything one step at a time. I knew what I was doing but I didn't really know why. I knew I was depressed and that there was no way I could end up with Sly. But my talk with Erik got me thinking. I couldn't wait for Sly, I had to take my life into my own hands. I had been up and down this staircase multiple times and each time I was with Sly. He was always there to same me from a certain fate, but not this time. This time I was walking into this without being kidnapped or put under some spell. This was something that I wanted to do. I stepped silently as I walked down the stairs with the torch in my grasp. Everything was quiet with the exception of water dripping someone in the distance. I moved my bangs from my face as I reached the bottom of the stairs and started making my way towards the boats. There were other lit torches in the tunnel for the boats. I placed my torch in the holder in the front of the boat and I climbed inside. I sat inside the boat and pulled out the oar before I started to paddle my way down the river. I was starting to double think things as I paddled down the river but it was too late to turn back now.

I was tired of other people trying to control my life; Carmelita, Sly, and even Sitka and it was my turn to take things into my own paws. I kept paddling and slowed down when I could hear piano music start to get louder and louder the closer and closer I got to the inner sanctum. I sighed as I exited the tunnel and my eyes landed on the closed gate. Candles were lit on the other side and I could see a figure at the piano on the shore. I pulled up to the gate and opened my mouth to make my presence know but the gate lifted up itself. I pushed myself forward silently and slowly paddled my way through the water. I kept my eyes on the fluid motions of the man sitting at the piano and admired the piano playing. I tied to boat to the edge of the water when I reached the embankment and stepped out. When I glanced up, the piano playing had stopped and the mysterious figure was making his way towards me. I opened my mouth to say something to him but closed my mouth quickly.

"I can give you anything you want," he whispered, "All you have to do is ask." I looked over his face. Half of it being the good looking man I knew and the other half was covered by his white mask. He gently placed his fingers under my chin and pulled it upward slowly.

"Help me say goodbye to everything I knew up there. Re-teach me how to live again and let me know to live life fully. Please, give me the strength to grow away from my gutter lifestyle and into something new. Help me say goodbye to everyone who took advantage of me and start over."

"Anything else?" he asked softly, bringing his face closer to mine.

"I want to accept the offer you gave me a few days ago in front of the opera house. Can I become your partner and everything else you offered? Please?" he nodded slowly.

"Of course…anything you want." He whispered before lightly pressing his lips against mine.

"Thank you," I said after we parted, "Erik."


	5. Chapter 5:Broken Halves Can Become Whole

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 5! And I'm going to change the point of view briefly in the next chapter and focus on what's going on the flip side of the story so until then, please read and review and let me know what you think! Thanks!_

Chapter 5: Broken Halves Can Become Whole

I sat down softly on the piano bench next to the Phantom and folded my paws in my lap. He gently pulled one of my paws to his lips and kissed the top softly. He had changed for the better and I was actually calm around him. Before, he had kidnapped me twice and almost made me marry him. Now, he wasn't forceful but a complete gentleman and someone I could actually see myself falling in love with. I met his gaze and my eyes latched on to the solid white mask he always wore on half of his face. I knew the face underneath was disfigured but I had seen it before and it didn't bother me. I never based my feelings on the way peopled looked, it was always what their personality and true intentions were. That's what defined a person, their personality and not their looks. Something Sly and Carmelita seemed to overlook.

"The last time I was here," I said after a moment of silence, "You had a mask for me that looked like yours. Do you…think I could have it?"

"You want the mask?" he questioned and I nodded, "Why the sudden change of interest?"

"Well, I figured that since I was joining you…I could match you. You know, you'd be the Phantom and I'd be…the feminine version of that title." He chuckled at my explanation.

"Mistress of the Opera, my love." I nodded and he stood.

I watched as he walked to a desk and picked up the mask off the top. He glided across the room and back to his seat. I grasped the mask gently and looked at it.

"Erik," I whispered, "Can I ask you something personal?" I questioned softly.

"Anything, my dear," he voice was barely above a whisper, "Ask away." His voice sent chills down my spine. It was so husky, so manly yet gentle. It was a voice that was so sexy it could send shivers down any woman's back.

"Why did you decide to become the Phantom?" I cocked my head at my question and stared at his face.

"My face," he said simply, "It's a face that no one could stand to look at. It repels everyone I come into contact with. I had to hide it; I had to hide my face from the world."

"It doesn't repel me." he smiled and tucked my bangs behind my ear.

"And that's why I love you." I felt my heart leap into my throat at his comment. It was the first time someone told them that they loved me, aside from my family, and it was a wonderful feeling. I wanted to return the comment but my voice was lost in my throat. He chuckled and I smiled. My smiled faded eventually and I had another question on my mind that needed answering.

"What happened to your face? If you don't mine my asking?" I hoped my question wouldn't turn him away but he didn't seem to mind.

"I don't mind, my dear. You see," he met my gaze again, "my father was an abusive man and my mother was a sickly woman. All my life I've beaten, hated, unloved, and alone in the world. My father resented me after my mother died. I was only five when she passed. The last memory I have of my mother is her sitting in a hospital bed, tubes connected everywhere you can imagine; pumping oxygen into her weakening form. She pulled my into her lap, kissed me, said she loved me, and then her heart stopped," I squeezed his paw with my own as I listened, "After she was buried, my father became mean; even worse than he was before my mother died. He became horribly violent, abusive, a drunk every minute of the day, and angry. Every day he'd find something to beat me with and everyday they'd get worse. First it started out with his hand, a simple slap across the face once a day. Then it turned into sticks and anything else he could find and it turn into hour long beatings multiple times a day. I suffered for three years until he snapped."

"What happened?" I whispered.

"He got drunker than usual when I came home from school. It was a Thursday afternoon and I was in the second grade. I walked home and there he was, in the garage and chugging down a bottle of vodka like it was water. I remember it like it was yesterday; I walked by him to go inside and he snatched me by the arm and his face was close to mine and his breath was nothing but booze and hatred. He slapped me first before throwing me down on the ground. He said I was the source of his pain and that mother's death was a result of me being in existence. She had become ill after I was born. He picked up a container, yelled 'I'll see you in Hell', and then threw the contents on my face. It burned like fire and I remember screaming as the fresh battery acid burned my fur away and started melting my skin. I somehow found water and washed most of it off but I could still feel it burning. My neighbors heard me, called the police, sent me to the hospital and to make a long story short I was dumped in an orphanage after my father was arrested for child abuse. I was teased by everyone there, even the teachers, because of my face. The acid burned all the fur off, killed the follicles so it could never grow back, and everything underneath the fur looked like melted wax. It still does, come to think of it. I was teased, picked on, and bullied. I hid in my room and used a pillow case to hide from everyone. I stayed in my room all day and I'd sit on my bed alone. After a year in my own Hell, I ran away."

"Where did you go?" I pulled his paw into my lap and gently stroked his fingers.

"Here," he said, "I was always drawn to the architecture of the opera house and the music that came from its glorious halls. So I went into the dungeons of the opera house and lived there, hiding from everyone. I have known nothing of love or humanity since then…until I met you. When you showed up that day looking for the part of Christine, I sadly admit I thought you'd be just like everyone else I had worked with; snobby, stuck up, and evil. Then I sat down and talked with you while we rehearsed. You were kind, sweet, smart, beautiful, funny, self assured and confident, successful, and caring. You listened to me, showed me love and kindness, you made me smile for the first time in years. You made me feel like I was important and worth something. For the first time since I was five years old I felt like I was loved. You reminded me that there is love in the world and that I could have it. I know I went crazy about you afterwards but I didn't want to loose that feeling of love. I wanted to feel like I could always be loved even if I looked and acted like a monster. After what I did to you last time, I realized how wrong I was. I've changed, Ramona, I swear. I understand that I was in the wrong and that if you had me arrested right now, I would understand. But I wanted to apologize for everything I have done to you and hope you forgive me."

"Of course." I mumbled. We smiled and he gently kissed my paw again.

"Self assured and confident," I mumbled, "I'm not much of those anymore, Erik." I sighed and lowered my head. I felt him place his paws on the side of my face and pulled it up to meet his.

"You may feel like that now," he whispered, "but you can rebuild it. We both know that those two monsters broke you, left you in the dust, and then ran off with each other. But I can rebuild you, my dear. We are both broken halves of a couple, but just like our masks," he took off his mask and took our two masks and joined them together. Mine was designed to fit the left side of my face and his was designed to fit the right side of his face. When they were put together, they made one complete mask with one hole in the mouth so we could speak, "we can be mended. Broken halves can become whole, Ramona. Yes, there might be a crack, but when two halves come together then they are whole and complete again." He took the masks apart and started to put his mask on his face. I stopped him before he put his mask back on.

"You don't have to wear your mask around me, Erik. Your face doesn't frighten me." I gently placed my paw on the disfigured side of his face and felt his skin on my fingertips. Yes, it wasn't normal or pretty, but it was him and I accepted it. I looked over his scar slowly, taking in the detail and the feel of his skin. His scar stretched from his nose, including his lips, and included the entire right side of his face and stopped underneath his ear. His lip was curled upward due to the scar, showing off some of his gums and his lower eyelid sunk down, making his eye appear to want to pop out of his head. But I looked past it and stroked his cheek gently.

"Then don't hide your blemish, my dear." I sighed when I realized what he meant. I always kept my bangs over my left eye to keep people from noticing they were different colors. It wasn't normal for someone to have multi-colored eyes so I kept on hidden at all times, "In fact," he mumbled, "if you want my opinion," he said as he put his mask back on, "It just shows off your beauty even more." I smiled and took my mask from his paws. I placed it on over my face and felt the coolness go from the mask to my face. I looked back up at Erik and smiled. He squeezed my paw and my heart fluttered. He made me feel like no one had before. He made me feel like I was loved and I was important. Sly made me feel that way also but in the back of my mind I always knew he preferred my sister. Both he and my sister had broken me, left me in the dust, destroyed my inner feelings and made me feel like I was worth nothing. But Erik made me feel loved and he could rebuild my inner confidence and my self assurance. My heart fluttered again and I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his chest in a hug. He felt him wrap his arms around me in return and I finally felt loved by someone. He gently pressed his lips against my own and I smiled.


	6. Chapter 6: A Brother's Anger

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 6! I'm sorry for the long update period but I was frankly too lazy to type this chapter until now. I'm also sorry this chapter is short but I couldn't really think how to make it longer. And this is one of the few chapters I'll change the point of view in but it'll change a few more times. But anyway, please read and review and let me know what you think. _

Chapter 6: A Brother's Anger

I kept my back pressed against the wall as I listened to the argument going on in my shared office. Since October, I had been working at the Paris Interpol station with Carmelita and I had to be honest, I wasn't a big fan. I was a natural born thief, not a cop, but things had spiraled out of control. After the incident with Dr. M in the Cooper Vault, I made Inspector Fox believe that I have amnesia. She had pulled some strings, gotten me a job in the office as a Constable, we started dating, and I moved into her apartment. Now, the guilt was starting to set in. I had just up and left my team without a word of warning and I knew I had crushed Ramona completely. Along with knowing I had completely crushed the woman of my dreams, I knew her brother had to know was well. Sitka Bandicoot was overly protective of his sister and if he found out about me shooting her then I'd be dead. But now that I was listening outside of my office, it was obvious he was aware of it. I had taken a break to go to lunch and when I came back, I could hear him arguing with Carmelita. I kept myself pressed against the wall and listened to their conversation.

"You can't keep trying to baby her, Sitka!" I heard my partner shout to her brother.

"I'm not babying her, Carmelita! I'm trying to protect her!" it was obvious that the two were furious at each other and neither of them could control their temper.

"From who, everyone she comes into contact with?" I heard a growl from one of the two and things were getting heated.

"From you!" he shouted, "From you and that two faced raccoon!" I knew he was talking about me. Deep down, I knew I had stabbed her in the back by end up dating her sister but it wasn't my original plan.

"Do you realize how bad you've hurt your own sister?" Sitka continued, "You knew she loved him but you still stole him from her." His comment stuck with me. I knew I loved her and I knew she had feelings for me, but I wasn't aware just how strong until now. Knowing that she felt that way only made me feel worse about what happened.

"What's the matter with poor little Ramona now?" Carmelita mused, "Is she jealous of her big sister?"

"She's heart broken, Carmelita! She's been stabbed in the back by you and Cooper and she's depressed! I can't get her to leave her apartment and she hasn't gone outside in five days! She's broken and it's because of you and your partner!"

"Oh please, Sitka," Carmelita snorted, "She's such a little drama queen. She'll get over it in a few days and go right back to being a dirty thief."

"You see," I pressed my ear against the wall, "Right there's your problem. You are so self centered and would rather than throw your sister to the wolves and put her down instead of trying to work things out with her."

"Self centered? I'm self centered? No, you and our wimpy sister are jealous of who the superior is. Now get out of my office!"

"Fine, but you'd better hope I don't run into your new business partner, Carmelita. Because of what he did to Ramona, I will beat him into the ground." I moved away from the wall and started to head down the hall. The last thing I wanted to do was be around Ramona's enraged brother. I heard the door slam soon after I moved and there would be no way I could get around the corner in time.

"Cooper!" I cringed when I heard Sitka's voice behind me and his footsteps got closer, "Cooper!" I turned around to talk with the enraged brother and felt myself slam against the wall. His forearm had my neck pinned against the wall and I could hear him growl.

"Now, you're lucky we're standing in the middle of the Interpol station and you're in uniform or this would get ugly," he threatened, "But that doesn't mean I won't find you later. I know you were listening to me and my sister but do you even understand how much trouble you're in?" his voice was low, angry, and threatening. I shook my head in a reply and he continued.

"You broke Ramona's heart, Cooper. You crushed her, broke her, and stabbed her in the back. Her self esteem and confidence is nothing but dust in the wind because of you, she had cried nonstop for almost a week because of you, and this doesn't sit right with me. Since our father died, I've practically raised her into what she is now and I will _not_ have you, a backstabbing piece of garbage, break her down."

"Listen, it wasn't my intention-" I attempted to say but he cut me off.

"Shut up, Cooper, I'm not finished." He growled, "When you first started doing work with Ramona that if you _ever_ hurt her, physically or emotionally, then I would kill you. I'm holding true to that but I'm adding something so listen carefully. She doesn't feel loved anymore and she'll go to the one person who will make her feel loved, but I know he's lying. If she goes back to Erik, you'll be hearing from me."

"Goes back to Erik? I don't know who that is." I shot out. Out of the entire time I've know her, I'd never heard anything about this Erik person. He huffed out an impatient breath and pressed my neck further into the wall.

"Erik is the Phantom you moron! If she goes back to him because of you I will break you! He had tried to kill her, hypnotize her, he's kidnapped her, and threatened her and because of you she'll go back to him! You of all people should know what it's like to lose her to him and I will kill you if you loose me my baby sister!" my stomach twisted into knots when he mentioned the Phantom. If she went back to him there would be no telling what he would do to her. I'd fought to save her twice from him and almost died the last time we dealt with him. It would be total betrayal if she went to him. But then again, it can't be any different than what I did to her.

"Let me make this perfectly clear, Cooper. First, if I find out she's gone back to him then you'll hear from me again. I know he's dangerous and so do you. I don't want you to talk to her ever again, understand? I know how he works, if you attempt to make contact with her then he will kill her. He's the jealous type and I will not have you cost Ramona her life. While she's down there and gets a bruise, you'll get a broken bone. If she gets a scar, I'll put you in the hospital, if her heart is broken anymore than it already is then I will beat you so far into the ground you'll have your own grave. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" I nodded, "Good, now get out of my sight." He released me and stormed off. I took in a deep breath and felt sick. I never intended for Ramona to get hurt.

All I planned to do was call in the favor I owed to Dimitri, go to the Cooper vault, then go back to Paris and tell Ramona I loved her. I had chickened out after we came back from Cortex's tower but I wasn't going to this time. However, during my last fight with Dr. M, Carmelita had gotten in the way and I jumped in front of a bullet meant for her in order to save her. Now, she had guilt tripped me into working for her at Interpol and somehow roped me into not only dating her but living with her. I soon found out that Carmelita isn't who she made people think she was. She was mean and a ruthless cop who would do whatever it took to catch her criminal. Working and living with her these last few months has made me loose all respect and feelings I had for her. I didn't love Carmelita like I thought I did a while ago. I now know that I loved Ramona with everything I had. Then I felt horrible after we chased Ramona and I had to shoot her. It wasn't my intention for the bullet to hit her but somehow it did. I felt horrible as soon as she shrieked but with the entire station close by, I couldn't apologize. I haven't had the chance to explain things to her but I needed to. Now, she was more than likely going to go back to the Phantom by her own free will and it was all my fault. I had to stop her and tell her the truth before things got out of hand but Sitka was right. If Erik had his eyes set on Ramona and saw me talking to her, he would more than likely kill her. I couldn't have her killed because of my cowardliness. I needed to talk to her and let her know the truth of what happened and that I loved her but I didn't know how I was going to do it…unless I got back in touch with the gang.


	7. Chapter 7: Opposie Sides of the Law

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 7! And just a quick word of warning, after the (.-.-.-.-.-.-.) section, the point of view changes so I just wanted to make that clear now. I had originally planned to make this two chapters then I decided against it and just decided to make it one really long chapter. So, please read and review and let me know how I'm doing and please leave me any questions or comments you have. Thanks! (: _

Chapter 7: Opposite Sides of the Law

I twisted a curl of my hair around my index finger and thumb as I thought. It had been a little over three weeks since I had agreed to be Erik's thieving partner and now he decided that we would need to let the city, and police force, become aware of the changes in our lives. I didn't think that making it obvious that two thieves would be together in a room full of police offices was a good idea but I wasn't going to try to change his mind. He figured that since tonight was Christmas Eve and just about everyone in the city would be at the opera house for the celebration, we would make our grand entrance there. It would be the first time I would actually see my sister, or Cooper for that matter, since the night they caught me stealing from the museum around the first of the month. I had no desire to speak to either of them and frankly I didn't even want to see them. They had burned me in more ways than one and had completely obliterated my self esteem and confidence. I knew the two of them would be at the opera house tonight but I would try to avoid contact with both of them at all costs.

I tossed my hair behind my shoulder as I looked to the ball gown spread out on my bed. Erik had given it to me for tonight's event. It was an absolutely beautiful gown that had to have cost Erik a fortune…that or he stole it. I had come home earlier in the day and noticed it was placed neatly on my bed along with a pair of matching heels and a white masquerade mask that had a striking resemblance to a skull. It didn't go completely over my face, just over my eyes, half my cheeks, and the upper part of my snout. I picked it up and ran my fingertips over the smooth yet bumpy surface of the mask and sighed. I honestly didn't know what to do with my life at this point. I couldn't go back to what my life was before; thieving almost everyday and always escaping the police. I'd be caught and thrown in prison since Cooper joined the police force but I really didn't want to start a relationship with Erik again. He had also hurt me in the past, tried to get me killed, tried to get me to marry him, but I'd honest rather go with him than Cooper.

I stood from my bed and straightened out the slip I was wearing. I had a few hours to get ready for the ball tonight with Erik and I still had to get dressed and everything else. I strode into my bathroom and sat down in front of my mirror to start putting on my makeup for tonight. I really didn't need to put that much on since my fur was too dark for anything so show up with the exception of a little bit of mascara and lipstick. It took me forever to do a simple task since I kept getting sidetracked by my thoughts. I didn't know what to do anymore. I was being torn emotionally and my mind was frazzled. When I was a kid I never imagined myself going through a mid life crisis in my late twenties, but instead I always pictured myself being married with kids by now. But, that certainly wasn't going to happen anytime soon. I shook my head and finished putting on my makeup and walked back into my bedroom to get my dress on. I looked at the dress and couldn't help but smile briefly. The dress itself was a floor length ball gown and was a beautiful red satin color. I picked it up from the top and held it out in front of me. It wasn't sleeveless but it didn't have short sleeves. It simply had two diagonal sleeves that simply would rest on my shoulders. Similar to the sash girls wear in their high school graduation photos.

I quietly unzipped the zipper on the back of the dress and stepped into it. I shimmied into the dress and pulled the sleeves up on my shoulders. I zipped up the dress and smoothed out the torso section of the dress. It was tight fitting on my torso and started to spread out as it got closer to the ground. It was a Victorian style poof at the bottom and it fit perfectly. I had already fixed my hair before fixing my makeup. I had fixed to so that my hair was not only curled, but was down yet pulled back into a clip where my jaw line started while the rest cascaded down my back. My hair wasn't that long to begin with, maybe shoulder blade length, but now that it was curled it was even shorted. I still had my bangs pulled over my left eye to hide my eye color, even with the mask on. Now all I had left to do was put on my shoes and the mask. I silently slipped on the matching red shoes and was instantly lifted up two or three inches. I stayed silently as I picked the mask up off the bed and held it in my paws. I didn't know if I was doing the right thing when it came to going with Erik, but I couldn't go with Sly and Erik was the only option for me. I though about my new title as well as I placed the mask over my face. After tonight, I would be known as the Mistress of the Opera.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I fixed the collar of my suit as I walked through the front foyer of the opera house. I put my arm back down when I was finished and offered it to my date. Carmelita took my arm with a huff and we walked through the opera house together. She had been in a mood since our encounter with Ramona at the first of the month. Apparently, the two sisters had engaged in harsh words against each other and now refused to speak to each other. We were undercover at the opera house; looking for any criminals that might want to swipe things on display. Carmelita was mainly on the hunt for her sister and was determined to put her behind bars for good. We hadn't heard of any thefts by Ramona or even seen her since the beginning of the month. Personally, I was starting to believe that she had left the city. Now that I worked with Interpol, I didn't dare go to her apartment so I was unsure if it was still being rented out to her or if she moved. Another thought that plagued my mind about her was the point her brother had told me a few weeks ago. If she had gone back with the Phantom, there would be no telling what would happen to her.

"Alright, listen," Carmelita mumbled after we had gotten away from the crowd, "Keep you eyes peel for Bandicoot. If you see her, take her down and let me know." I nodded and we branched off. Even though I couldn't keep an eye on Ramona like I normally did, I still could spy on her. That was the one good thing about being assigned to her case; I had an excuse to keep my eye on her. I weaved in and out of people, looking out for any sign of Ramona or possibly the Phantom. As I walked, I couldn't help but realize how much I hate being a cop. I missed being with my friends, stealing things whenever I please, having the wind blow against my face as I ran on a heist, and actually waking up and enjoying my job. I also missed being on Ramona's good side. Ever since she was under the mind control of Dr. Cortex a few months ago, things had been really rocky between us. Sure, we talked soon after it was over, but things weren't the same with us. And now that I was a cop, everything was worse. We couldn't be around each other for a minute without screaming and yelling at each other. I also knew that this entire situation was entirely my fault. If I had just told her the truth about how I felt when I had the chance then we wouldn't be in this situation. I had plenty of chances to tell her that I loved her but I had chickened out each and every time. Then to top everything off I somehow managed to be manipulated by her sister.

I shook my thoughts from my head and kept walking in and out of people. We had been sent into the ballroom section of the opera house with the actual theatre up the large staircase that was centered in the middle of this room. The ballroom was decorated like it normally was; completely painted gold and filled with people. I hated going to these types of events. The only time I actually went without fuss was if Bentley had a job for us to pull or I was trying to spy on the Phantom when he had his sights set on my old rival. But since I wasn't really here to do either of those things, I was bored out of my mind. Sure, Carmelita brought me on a few of her chases while we were on the job but nothing compared to the thrill of thieving. The adrenaline rush I got from thieving couldn't be matched by being a cop. I wasn't born into a line of police officers; I was born into a line of thieves. There was one thing I needed to do…I needed to quit and go back to the gang, my passion, and to the woman I truly loved. I silently passed by other party goers and kept my eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

Despite the cheerful mood of the people around me and the loud music flowing through the halls, I still had a strange feeling that something wasn't right. I couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen or that something had already gone wrong. I couldn't shake this feeling even as I looked at the smiling faces of the guests and I listened to the upbeat music that was getting louder and louder. Things just weren't right in the opera house and I needed to figure out what it was before my brain exploded from anticipation. I looked around and spotted Carmelita strolling leisurely around the party guests; talking to no one and keeping to herself. I stopped walking and yawned quietly. I had circled the guests two times and everything seemed secure. I'd just stand here for a while and look things over. I wasn't in the mood to do anything so simply standing wouldn't take that much energy or effort. I leaned against the banister to the large staircase and sighed. I felt absolutely horrible and it was completely my fault. If I had just told Ramona the truth, I wouldn't be worrying about her going to the Phantom, her brother wouldn't want to kill me, I wouldn't be a cop, and I wouldn't have to live and deal with an always moody Carmelita. I closed my eyes and thought but they snapped open as soon as the music stopped and people grew eerily quiet. I got up off the banister and noticed that everyone was staring at the main staircase behind me. I turned and quickly looked in the same direction as the party goers and could feel my stomach twist into knots at the sight before me.

Dressed all in red, clad in solid black boots and gloves, a mask attached to his face, and a smug smirk spread across his face, was the Phantom. The silver handle of his sword, which was a skull similar to his mask, gleamed in the light as the paced back and forth slowly on the top stair. He was looking over the people in the party and smirked each time he turned on his heels. He slowly stepped down a few stairs and stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly made eye contact with me, shook his head with another smirk, and looked back out into the crowd. He was up to something, but what he was up to exactly was still a mystery. But whatever it was, I could tell that Ramona would be involved. I stepped back into the crowd slowly and placed my paw on my shock pistol, ready to shoot the Phantom down.

"Why so quiet everyone?" he mused, "Did you really think that you could have a party in _my_ opera house and not expect me to show up?" he chuckled dryly and started to pace on the stair slowly. I glanced over to Carmelita who was on the opposite side of the room and she had her pistol out of its holster and pointed down, ready to raise it up at the right moment. I did the same with my pistol and returned my attention to the Phantom.

"I have an announcement for everyone here tonight and I'm hoping my two 'undercover' Interpol officers listen _very _carefully," I knew he was talking to both me and my partner, "To begin, I am no longer alone. You all have another you must obey if you wish to keep using my opera house and theatre without charge." He turned away from the crowd and back towards the entryway he had come from. He silently held out his gloved paw and cocked his head to the side slowly.

"Mademoiselle," he said softly to an unknown woman in the shadows. I watched as the woman, dressed completely in red and wearing a matching mask to the Phantom, slowly came out of the shadows and into the light. She gently took his paw with her own and stepped down a step or two until the two were arm and arm. They walked down a few more stairs together before stopping. I took one look at the woman in red and almost dropped my shock pistol.

"No," I whispered mainly to myself, "Not her, anyone but her." I felt my heart sink when my eyes set on Ramona. Her brother was right, she did join the Phantom and this time it was completely of her own will.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he boomed, "My new queen and your new mistress of this opera house…Mademoiselle Bandicoot." He smiled briefly before his charming smile turned cold, "Constable Cooper!" he shouted. The group of people around me quickly stepped away as if I was a freak of nature and I was standing in the middle of a circle and staring up at my enemy, "There you are." He mused, "I'd listen very carefully if I were you. Do you realize how big of a moron you are? You left this beautiful, pure, raven haired beauty," he paused and gently ran a finger down her jaw line, "for that no good, ruthless, blue haired, tramp who tries to pass herself off as an honest police officer." I heard Carmelita growl at his comment and it didn't take long for her to fire off a shot towards the two raccoons. However, the two ducked and started making their way up the stairs. A few women in the crowd shrieked when Carmelita fired and it took only seconds for the opera house to go from happy and lively to fearful and filled with shrieks. Carmelita and I instantly bolted up the staircase after the two thieves who had branched away from each other.

"You go after my sister!" the Inspector shouted, "I'm going after the freak with the mask!" I nodded and followed Ramona to the left. She started making her way up the spiral staircase that led to the rafters above the theatre. Even in a heavy dress and heels, she could still move quickly. Thankfully her dress was long enough for me to keep an eye on where she was going. I had placed my gun back in its holster before chasing after Ramona. I had no intentions to shoot her or arrest her; all I wanted to do was talk to her and get her away from the Phantom.

"Ramona!" I shouted behind her after I had reached the top of the staircase. The tail end of her dress fluttered around a corner and I ran as fast as I could to catch up to her. Her heels clicked against the floor and I was getting closer to her. When she was fully in my sights, I realized she was halfway across the hanging walkways above the stage. It was nothing more than a rope and wooden plank bridge going from one side of the theatre to the other. There were two different walkways hanging and she was on the one on the left. For both our safety, I ran into the right one. I gripped the tope tightly when I realized just how flimsy these things were. They swayed with each step and wobbled every second. How Ramona was able to keep her balance while in heels was a mystery to me.

"Ramona listen to me!" I shouted and she turned swiftly. The sweet and innocent face she had during her grand entrance had disappeared and was now replaced with one of anger.

"Why should I listen to _anything_ you have to say? Everything you tell me is a lie!" she balled her paws into fists and was shaking.

"When have I ever lied to you, Ramona?" I shouted back. I wasn't out of anger, but simply so she could hear me. We were at lease six feet apart and the shouting from the opera house was still loud.

"Every time you open your mouth!" she screamed, "When we talked after the incident with Cortex you told me you had more feelings for me than my sister! You said you wanted to talk when you got back! But you never even looked and me when you got back and look where you are now! You're a thief turned cop who broke the Thief's Code and you're _sleeping_ with my sister! Every word you said to me that day, every word was a lie! You said you have amnesia but that is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard! You know exactly who I am, what you doing, and you know it! And you knew it when you shot me!" she kept screaming, "I loved you, Cooper! I was willing to give up everything for you, but you stabbed me in the back! You broke my heart and blew it in my face! You and my good-for-nothing sister completely crushed me! But when I have the chance to pick up the pieces with a new man, you just have to try and stop me! I am a person just like you and I deserve to find love just like you! You are not the only man in the world, Cooper!"

"Ramona, will you just shut up for a minute and listen to me?" I tried to get through to her but she only got madder.

"No! Don't you _ever_ tell me to shut up, Cooper! I am _not_ one of the criminals you arrest everyday!" she was furious. Her nostrils were flaring, her fists were shaking, and she was ready to snap.

"Then will you please listen to me, Ramona?" she shook her head violently.

"No! I don't want to hear anything from you! I don't ever want to her anything from you again! Do you want to know what the final straw was for me, Sly? When I learned of everything you said about me behind me back! That's what did it for me!"

"What are you talking about? I never said anything about you! Who said that to you?" I had never said anything negative about Ramona and I never would. I respected her too much. Someone was feeding her lies and I had a good idea who was telling her these lies.

"Erik told me everything you said about me, Sly! He told me that you told your friends that I was worthless and that you were only using me. He told me that you said you never loved me and you never could! He told me that you adored my sister and only became close with me to avoid having me throw you in jail! He told me everything you said! Everything!" even though she had her mask on, I could see the tears stream down her face. My mouth fell open at her comments and I was dumbfounded. Erik was feeding her lies to turn us against each other and it was working.

"I _never_ said that about you, Ramona! I swear to you! He is lying to you, Ramona! He's lying to you! I never said that about you! Never!" She simply shook her head and turned to finish walking down the pathway. I followed her on mine but stopped in my tracks instantly when I heard someone behind me. I turned around and ducked just in time to avoid getting punched in the head by the Phantom. The last thing I wanted to do was fight him on a flimsy rope and wooden plank bridge twenty feet from the solid wooden stage below.

I rammed my elbow into his abdomen and kicked him in his shins and ran across the platform to get to a safer spot before fighting off the Phantom. I figured he'd chase me across the platform I ran across but instead, I heard his cloak snap against the wind and he started climbing up the ropes that were attached to the stage. I kept my eyes on his shadowy outline as I made my escape. Truly, I was intimidated by him. He was a deadly man who could kill someone without a thought. I knew that if I got heavily involved with them this time, with them this time I knew he would either kill me, Ramona, or both. I was almost to the ground when I heard him jump down behind me. I turned and pulled out my gun but it was slapped out of my paw as soon as it was out of its holster. I felt one of his paws grip my neck firmly and his other fist impact the side of my face. He hit me two or three times before kneeing me in my gut. He released my neck and I doubled over with a grunt. I slid to the ground, still holding my aching ribs, and heard him make his escape up a rope when Carmelita made herself known. The light from her shock pistol quickly flooded the room and shone brightly on me. She cautiously stepped up to me and lowered her weapon.

"Did you get her? He slipped away from me but did you get my sister?" I glanced up to the fox and sighed.

"No." I said simply. She huffed and mumbled something in Spanish. Since I had been living with her for a few months I knew what she said…well most of it, something along the lines of 'worthless'. She quickly huffed past me and back towards the ballroom. I rolled my eyes and stood.

I took in a deep breath and made my way towards the ballroom. I looked up briefly to see if I could find any evidence of Ramona or Erik but nothing was there. As I walked, I couldn't help but think of what Ramona had said. I knew I had never said anything bad about Ramona behind her back. I'd never said anything bad about her period! I knew deep in my heart that Erik was filling her head with lies to drive the wedge further between us. I had to stop her and show Ramona the truth before we became bitter enemies instead of friendly rivals. I wanted to quit Interpol right then and there but I quickly realized I might be able to use my new job to my advantage. I needed to talk with Bentley and get back on his good side. With his brains and my inside connects to Ramona's files and the permission to actually go and get her since she was a wanted criminal, I could bring down the Phantom, possibly have him arrested, and things would be alright. I'd quit Interpol, say goodbye to Inspector Fox, find Ramona, explain things to her, tell her I loved her, then simply let things fall into place from there. But first, I needed to take down the Phantom for good.


	8. Chapter 8: A Sudden Turn of Events

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_I'm trying to make my boring chapters a little more exciting by combining them with the next chapter (I've noticed a boring, exciting, boring, pattern in my chapters) but sadly its making the number of chapters shorter but the length of the chapters themselves are longer so I think it balances out in the end. Currently, I'm planning to have 14 chapters but don't be surprised if that changes. I'm hoping that the number of chapters won't go down any more but I have no promises. And again like the last chapter, the point of view changes after the (.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.). And for the record I don't really like doing that but I only do it when I combine chapters and the point of view changes. But anyway…please read and review and let me know what you think and how I'm doing. Thanks! And quick note, I modeled Ramona's new outfit after Meg's outfit in the final scene from the Phantom of the Opera movie just incase I don't make it clear enough. _

Chapter 8: A Sudden Turn of Events

It didn't take me long to fall in love with the view from the opera house windows. The empty, glassless, windows were at the highest point of the building and I could see almost anything from them. Every night I'd sit in the windows and just look over the city and think. Unfortunately, the Interpol station was within my sights and I could see directly into my sisters' office. I normally avoided looking at the horrid structure even when I saw movement from inside. I sighed and shifted my position in the empty, round window. My window was part of the section that was never used anymore. It used to be used by construction crews to clean and beside me was the old, tattered, wooden planks of the walkway. I sat in the same position I did when I first met back up with Erik. I rested one arm on my knees and used the other one to fumble with the necklace around my neck. It was the only thing I still kept from my usually thieving outfit. I had changed my clothing style ever since I had gotten with Erik. Instead of my normal attire of a yellow shirt, jeans, and Converse, I now wore something completely different. A long sleeved, white, puffy shirt, a pair of dark brow pants that fit closely, similar to yoga pants, and a simple pair of brown boots. To add to my changed appearance, I found myself almost constantly wearing the half mask Erik had given me. The only time I took off my mask was when I showered or slept.

It had been three days since I had made my escape from Sly in the opera house and I hadn't stolen anything yet. I was aching for something to do; I was tired of just sitting around. However, I couldn't go out alone. I had to go with Erik or I'd be caught by the two officers that stayed on my tail. I shivered at the cold wind and the snow that blew on my arms and sighed. Despite my new relationship with Erik, I still felt like I was missing something. That inner spark that should be there in a relationship just wasn't there. Yeah, Erik was a major gentleman and he had changed but…I just wasn't happy. I wasn't going to get up and leave him, mind you. I'd stay and see if it would eventually ignite but right now, my relationship was a wet match in a dark cave. I sighed again and just figured that's the way I'd always be. I'd grow up alone and depressed. I shivered again and as if like magic, a solid black cloak was draped over my front and instantly warmed my body.

"You'll catch a terrible cold like this, my love." Erik's beautiful voice filled my ears. I glanced up to him and his big, brown eyes and nodded slowly. His eyebrows furred and he crouched next to me, "My intuitive sense of my beautiful female tells me that you are troubled. Is something wrong? This is the third week in a row you've been up here." I pulled his cloak up to my chin and shrugged.

"No I'm fine," I lied, "I just really love the view. I needed time to think." He nodded.

"My dear, we need to make our plans. If we intend to put the other theatre out of business, then we need a plan of action." I nodded in agreement. There were two theatres in Paris. The one we loved in and one across town. Erik wanted it out of business so only his opera house and theatre could be used, which I couldn't blame him for it anyway. This opera house was prettier, more detailed, huge, and held many people. The other one was much smaller and not ornate at all.

"True," I murmured, "Do you have an idea in mine?" he nodded slowly and gently ran a finger across the right side of my face to the tip of my nose.

"I had an idea," he whispered, "You see, two people against a building of brick and mortar is pathetic and we could never win. However, a building of brick and mortar against a good bit of explosives, well…there is no way we could loose." My eyes widened at his comment. I didn't know he was a man who could acquire explosives but then again nothing about him surprised me.

"Where did you get explosives?" he chuckled quietly and brushed my bangs away.

"Don't worry about that. Now," he stood and gently pulled me up with him, "Why don't you go back down into the catacombs and get some rest? You look exhausted. I'll stay up here and plan a little more then come down myself." I nodded and he smiled. He gently grabbed my chin and kissed my lips softly before pushing me back towards the sewer catacombs. I did what I was told and wrapped his cloak around my shoulders tightly as I slowly walked to the catacombs.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I shook the snow from my fur as I stood quietly on the fire escape of the building across from the opera house. I had been listening to the conversation between Ramona and the Phantom for the past half hour and was steadily growing more agitated with each loving quote they said to each other. I still loved Ramona and I knew Erik was lying to her and seeing her being used struck a cord with me. I had to get her away from him but I didn't know how. I shivered briefly and regretted not breathing a coat. It was late at night, around eleven and I had managed to slip away from Carmelita by using the 'I have to work late tonight' excuse. But it was a complete lie. I didn't have any late work to do at the office; I never did my paper work. But I needed to get away, alone, and spy on Ramona. Was it wrong to date someone, live and work with them only to spy on and constantly think about her sister? Of course it was, but I had feelings for Ramon and had lost respect for Carmelita. After working with her for almost three months now, I quickly learned she was not the person she portrayed herself to be. Come to think of it, I might start doing my paperwork at night just to get away from her. I shook Carmelita from my mind as I hear the Phantom start to talk to himself.

"Ramona Bandicoot," he cooed, "She's nothing but a harlot!" he shouted. I heard a crash as he knocked something over. I listened quietly at his change in attitude, "I've given her my soul, my home, my opera house and this is how she repays me? By staying up all night and watching that confounded raccoon. I know she's nothing but a cheater and I fell for her," I was dumbfounded. I hadn't had a nice conversation with Ramona in months and every time we did talk we screamed at each other, "I'm at my wits end…she has to go. But if I simply let her loose I'm humiliated but she can't stay here. Or…I wouldn't have to put up with her or be humiliated if she joined her father. She'd be with her precious father again and everything we be alright again. Yes, that's what I'll do, but how to carry it out? If I get rid of her in my home I'll have her blood on my hands and since her sister and lover are officers, I'd be arrested without hesitation. If I hire someone to kill her then they could turn on me and I'd be in the slammer. But if it was an accident…I couldn't be blamed. But what accident could possibly cover up my plan?" I felt my heart drop, he waned to kill her, "Ah," he gasped out, "Perfect. If my lovely, clumsy, mademoiselle had an 'accident' when we blow up the other opera house, everyone would look at it like a tragic accident and nothing planned. Economical as well, there would be no burial and no one would have to pay for the cremation process. I'll take care of that," he chuckled, "Yes, that'll work perfectly. All I have to do is keep her completely unaware until next week. After that, Ramona Bandicoot will simply be a memory that will eventually die off after a few years." I heard him step away and my heart was pounding in my chest.

"He wants to kill her," I mumbled, "He wants to kill her." I ran my fingers through my hair quickly as my thoughts raced through my mind. He hadn't changed at all; he was still completely insane and he had Ramona fooled. I wasn't sure it this was his plan from the start but things had just taken a turn for the worse. I had to get Ramona away from this psychopath and into safety, but how? She refused to listen to me and wouldn't believe me if I told her what I just heard. We couldn't be around each other for thirty seconds without yelling and I was afraid that Erik had driven the wedge between me and Ramona too far for it to be fixed. I wasted no time getting to the ground and bolting down the street. I had to stop the Phantom before he got the change to kill Ramona. I ran nonstop and didn't to stop until I was standing inside of my old safe house and was talking with Bentley about what to do with Erik.


	9. Chapter 9: Warning

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 9! I'm sad to say that this story is starting to wind down already and will only have about 5 more chapters left. And I really don't have anymore story ideas or oneshot ideas to after this so I am completely open for suggestions. But other thank that, I really don't have that much to add so please read and review and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 9: Warning

I pulled the hood of my cloak up over my head and I surveyed my surroundings. I kept my hood close to my face as I continued down the streets and headed towards my destination. I had only been in bed for a few hours after Erik told me to get some sleep when I kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I needed to go out for some fresh air but I didn't want to risk being seen, the reason for the cloak. I clutched my thieving satchel close to my chest as I made my way down the street. The bag originally belonged to one on my ancestors generations before me and had been passed on through the years. Each of my family members had stitched their initials into the top flap and mine was included. My father's initials were above mine and I took this journey to return it to him. I was supposed to pass it onto my children but it was obvious I wasn't going to have children anytime soon. And since I wasn't thieving anymore like I had hoped, I wanted to return it to my father for safe keeping.

I brushed my bangs from my face and pulled my hood closer to my face. It was the same clock I wore every time I made a late night visit to the graveyard, long and solid white with white sleeves. It wasn't much but it kept me hidden when it snowed. I stepped quietly as I walked in the snow alone. I felt like I needed to be alone for a while to just think things over. For the past few months, my life had been a wreck. Nothing seemed to be going right lately and I was at my wits end. I was ready to just let go of all my ties in Paris, move away, and just start new. I looked around before I opened the gates to the cemetery. It was technically considered trespassing coming here after midnight and since it was nearing three a.m. I could be arrested as long as I didn't get caught. Even if I did, I was going to return my fathers' bag no matter what.

I closed the door silently and made my way through the headstones. I was looking for my fathers' mausoleum inside the quiet cemetery and I knew where it was like my own home. I glided down the snowy paths silently until I was standing directly in front of the marble monument I had in mind. I lowered my hood and stared up at my family name etched in the top of the building. It wasn't technically my fathers' tomb. Many of my ancestors were buried inside and each of them were thieves, and masters to add to it. It was large enough to hold generations of my family and was the largest thing inside the cemetery. Not all of them were had been thieves in Paris, many of them from different countries in the world, but they were all put in one monument in one city. I rushed up the stairs and rested my paws on the heavy lock. I chipped away the ice on the key hole before pulling the key I had swiped earlier and unlocked the gates. I put the key back in my pocket and stepped inside the cold, quiet, mausoleum. I walked slowly, looking over the different graves of my family. Some of the dates dated back to the early fifteenth century and some as recent as my father. Besides my mother death earlier in the year, my fathers' passing was the most recent death in my family on the thieving side. I placed my paw on the wall and ran my fingers across the name of my grandfathers' tomb and I smiled. My grandfather, my fathers' dad, was more or less nuttier than a fruitcake, but was an excellent thief. On the opposite side of the wall, was my father. I stopped in front of this tomb and twisted my hair on my finger briefly. Again, I placed my paw on the cold marble and I could feel the wind blow in through the open gate. I was to be buried next to my father while Sitka and any other sibling with my last name were to be placed in here as well. Then, or children would be placed next to us then so on and so forth.

"Hi Daddy," I whispered softly as I moved my paw, "I have your satchel." I may have looked insane for talking to a tomb but I needed to talk to someone I trusted, even if they were gone. I knew he couldn't answer me, I knew he couldn't hear me, but I also knew that talking to my dad kept me going. I took my satchel of my shoulders and wrapped the strap around the bag itself neatly. After flattening out the top flap, I placed the bag behind the vase of flowers in front of my fathers' name and stepped back.

"I know I'm supposed to give this to my kids when I get older, but it's obvious I'm not going to be married or have kids for a while now," I paused and swallowed my tears, "I was hoping…I was hoping you could hold on to it for me until the time's right?" of course there was no answer but I still felt somewhat at ease, "As if it mattered." I whispered mo to myself that my father, "I'm probably just going to grow up old and alone anyway." I closed my eyes and could feel fresh, hot tears start streaming down my face. I turned around, rested my back against the marble graves, and sank to the floor. I covered my head with my hood and pulled my knees up to my chin. I let out a loud sob that could more than likely be heard from the streets but that didn't matter. I muffled another sob by placing my face on my knees and covering my head with my paws. I was so tired of crying almost everyday. I refused to cry in front of Erik and usually went off somewhere to let out my inner feelings. If he asked where I had been I'd usually tell him I was in windows in the attic and he accepted the excuse. If he ever got the idea in his head that I was cheating on him then he probably kill me but for now, things were alright.

I kept my face down and I could sense that someone was in the doorway and I assumed it was Erik coming to look for me since no one had said anything to me. I let out a gasp for air and could hear soft footsteps come close to me. I could hear Erik slide down beside me and wrap his arm around my shoulders. I was pulled towards him and I instantly wrapped my arms around him as well. I started crying nonstop when his other paw rested on the side of my face and his lips gently pressed against my head briefly. I stopped crying at his kiss and thoughts. I removed my arms from him and wiped my face. Something wasn't right; this wasn't like him. He hasn't kissed me since I joined him and that cologne, the cologne wasn't Erik's. I knew it however; so familiar that I shuddered in realization that I wasn't cuddling Erik.

"Get out," I growled, "Get out of my family tomb and get away from me," he didn't move; not an inch, "Get out!" I screamed and pushed away from the raccoon. He had me by the wrist as I stood and I pulled back my hood and growled as he crouched.

"Listen to me, Ramona. Listen to me." I shook my head and tried to yank my arm away from him but his grip was too tight, I couldn't escape.

"Get out, Cooper!" I screamed again, "Get away from me!" he shook his head and still tried to get me to stop talking but I refused, "Eri-" I tried to call for Erik but Sly clamped his free paw over my snout and pulled us up fully.

"Listen to me, Ramona. I'm not trying to fight with you but this is important. You can't go back Erik." I growled at his comment and snapped my snout out of his grip.

"And why not? You don't know anything about him!" I shouted at him. I didn't want to be around him or speak to him. He hurt me and he hurt me deeply.

"I know he's trying to kill you!" he shouted. I stopped fighting briefly and start him down. I shook my head and started struggling to get out of his grasp.

"You lie!" I shouted and pulled harder.

"No I'm not," he snapped, "When the two of you go to blow up the opera house across town he's going to try to kill you. He'd going to make it look like an accident so he can't get blamed. Ramona, he wants you dead." He held my wrist firmly, so much that I was starting to loose feeling in my paw, and stared me down intently.

"Let me go, Cooper. Let me go!" I pulled again but he held on tighter. I used the claws on my other paw and used them to puncture his arm. He released me and snatched his arm away. I bolted for the gate and he chased after me. I managed to close and lock the gates before he could exit the mausoleum. I backed down the stars and didn't stop until my back hit the tree on the other side of the walkway.

"Ramona," Sly said through the bars of the mausoleum gates, "You have to believe me. Ramona, please." I shook my head at his pleads.

"Why do you care, Cooper? You're with my sister, remember? Even if he wants me dead why does it matter to you?" I shouted towards him.

"It matters to me because I can't loose you again!" things were quiet afterward. I watched him sigh and look away briefly, "I screwed up, Ramona, and I screwed up big time. It was never my intention for things to turn out the way they did but that's just how it turned out. I lost you once when I came back from the Cooper Vault job. We can't be around each other for more than ten seconds without screaming at each other, you know that. He wants you dead and if he succeeds then I'll loose you permanently. And I can't live with that, Ramona, I can't." he paused briefly, "I don't want to see you in this mausoleum before you're supposed to be. You have to believe me, please." I shook my head slowly and took the mausoleum key from my pocket and tossed it towards the gate. It hit the marble with a clank and I pulled my hood over my head.

"I don't, Sly. I'm sorry." I bolted out of the cemetery while he used the key to get out of the tomb. I ran down the streets as fast as my legs would carry me. I didn't know what to believe anymore, I really didn't. I decided I'd go back to the opera house and try to sleep on it for now.

_And again, I'm in desperate need for story ideas so if you have any that you would like me to do, please let me know. _


	10. Chapter 10: An Explosive Breakup

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 10. This story is winding down but I don't know how many more chapters I'll have I might combine the last two chapters and only have two chapters left or I might keep to my plan and have three. I don't really know yet but I'll make it work. Again, I have no idea on what to write when this is done so I'm always open for new story or oneshot ideas so please let me know if there is a story you want me to do please let me know! (: other than that, please read and review and let me know what you think._

Chapter 10: An Explosive Breakup

I hoisted myself up onto the roof of the second opera house with a grunt. I took Erik's extended paw and finished pulling myself up on the concrete roof so we could blow it up. I was a thief and never did an arson job, if you could categorize this with arson, but it was important to Erik so it was important to me…I think. Who was I kidding I couldn't give a crap less about this. For example, this is why I never joined with anyone but my brother and sister. We had the same goals, Erik and I, not so much. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was do this job and I wanted nothing to do with Erik anymore. Maybe that made me sound like a horrible person since I went to him for support after I was broken by Cooper, but everything was the same and so boring with him. Every day and night it was talk about the opera house, write music for the opera house, or constantly being in a mood. I swear, if you put Erik and my sister together they'd be perfect for each other. I was just straight up miserable recently. I felt like I was just living each day simply to get to the next one instead of actually trying to accomplish something. I didn't have anything to actually live for anymore. Even if I did go back to my usual thieving routine and I didn't get caught by my sister or her partner, it just wouldn't be fun anymore. Sly was always the person that kept me on my toes and kept me on my game. Without Sly as my primary source of competition, thieving just wasn't enjoyable anymore. I also couldn't deny the fact that I was still in love with him.

I felt Erik's paw rest on my shoulder and pull me out of my thoughts. I hadn't realized I had been staring over the side of the building ever since I had gotten up here and Erik had already set up a majority of his explosive chain. He slid his paw down my arm and firmly gripped my own paw. He used the index finger on her other paw to quietly motion me to the 'base' of operations for his TNT. He pulled me forward and gently pulled me in front of him. He released my paw and wrapped his felt arm around my waist gently while his right paw was gently placed at the base of my neck. His snout slid to the left side of his face and I could smell that masculine cologne which caused me to shiver. There was just something about that smell that made me act like a blushing schoolgirl and cause my knees to go weak. My eyes closed as he whispered in my ear. His voice was so manly yet gently that I couldn't help myself.

"My dear," he whispered softly, "are you truly happy being with me?" my eyes snapped open and my heartbeat quickened.

"Of course," I said, "Why do you ask?" I was lying. I really wasn't happy but I wasn't about to tell him that when he had a relatively large amount of explosives only ten or so feet away.

"No reason, no reason," he whispered as his left paw crept up my back and rested on my shoulder, "I just wanted to assure myself that you weren't tying to pull one over me. I know you have a habit of doing that to the people you meet." The paw that was on my shoulder moved down my arm and wrapped around my wrist firmly.

"What are you talking about?" my eyebrows furred at his statement. My heart pounded in my chest when the grip around my neck tightened.

"Why don't you ask your lover?" he growled. His grip tightened and I felt the cold, unforgiving metal press against my skin as the unforgettable click of handcuffs filled my ears. I tried to pull my left arm up but just like I feared, I had been handcuffed to a drainpipe.

"Erik, I don't-" I stop talking when his thumb pressed firmly into the side of my neck and breathing became difficult.

"Don't me your excuses, Bandicoot. I know you've been sneaking around with that raccoon. Every night you go 'up into the rafters' to 'think', I know what really doing. You're sneaking off to go sleep with him. I know what you're doing, Bandicoot," he growled, "And I will make you pay." His voice was cold and I was terrified. I should have listened to Sly, he was right; Erik is trying to kill me.

"Did you really think you were going to get away with it?" he hissed, "You can't hide anything from me. I know what you're doing."

"…No I haven't." I gasped out, "Never…I've never cheated on you…never." It was becoming harder and harder to breathe as he pressed is thumb pressed deeper into my throat. He growled and threw me to the ground. My head hit the concrete lip of the building and I yelped. I met his gaze as he crouched and I screamed in pain as the paw of his paw impacted the right side of my face. The hit was so forceful that it slapped the mask off the left side of my face.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" he screamed as he hit me again, "You're not going to cross me and then think you can get away with it. Well let me tell you something," he stood and pressed his boot to my chest, "You're not." He removed his foot and walked to his explosives. I immediately started to try and slip out of the handcuffs. I didn't have anything to pick the lock with and I was short on time.

"Erik, please," I begged, "I've never cheated on you. The only time I've talked with Cooper is when he's trying to arrest us! I swear!" he shot me a glace and narrowed his eyes.

"Really," he sneered, "Then what about that night in the cemetery? You let him snuggle right up next to you, hold you, he even kissed you! And you let him!"

"I thought it was you!" I screeched, "I pushed him away, Erik! I told him to get away! I even locked him inside the mausoleum!"

"But you let him out! Don't try to weasel your way out of this, harlot." His words stung but I kept tying to escape while he fiddled with his TNT cache. I pulled away from the handcuffs and I felt them start to slide a little. Erik stood and loomed over me.

"You know, because I love you I'll tell you what my father said to me years ago," I met his gaze, "I'll see you in Hell." He said before clicking the timer on the bomb into the 'on' position and walking away. I was crunched for time and I had to get the handcuffs off. I pulled as hard as I could and I pulled my fingers together to form a point to try and get the metal cuffs to slide off my paw.

"Come on, work with me here," I grumbled to myself as I kept yanking on the handcuffs. The handcuffs started to slide off but it was taking too long. I looked deep into my throat and was forced to spit on the handcuffs. Thankfully, my spit was enough to let the handcuffs slide off with ease. I wiped my wrist off before glancing to the timer on the explosives. I bolted to go over the edge of the building but unfortunately the bomb went off before I was even halfway over. The heat was extensive but not enough to burn but still enough to scare me. The charges started at the bottom and worked their way up. I screeched as my section of the roof I was on caved in while I was still on top. I felt myself start to fall and I simply waited to smack the ground and die. My eyes widened when I felt something pinch the scruff of my neck and I swung briefly before simply hanging there. Thankfully the explosion wasn't that big to completely destroy the building but it did put a rather large dent in it. Even though I was on the same side as the explosives, I wasn't injured other than the beating I received from Erik and the few cuts I got from debris. At least I was alive and not a splat on the ground. I turned my attention to the pinching on my neck and moved my paw up to feel what was holding me in the air. It was an arm that kept me suspended; an arm of the one person who knew we'd be here tonight. And the same person who warned me about Erik and the same person I still loved.


	11. Chapter 11: Breaking Ties

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well here's chapter 11! And I have decided to combine my last two chapters so I'll only have one more chapter so this story is just about over. And again, if you have any story or oneshot ideas you want me to do please let me know. I'm always up for suggestions and I will give you credit when I write your idea. But other than that, please read and review and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 11: Breaking Ties

I was slowly being pulled back up to the top of the building by the scruff of my neck when it finally clicked in my mind that I was still alive. I felt my waist slide up over the lip of the opera house and soon I was sitting on the edge. My neck was released and his arm wrapped around my waist to pull me back but I was already scooting my way towards the other side to get away from the smoking concrete. I looked straight ahead, stayed silent and didn't really seem to think about anything; I was in shock. My ears were ringing from the explosion and all I wanted to do was just sit there instead of trying to talk with Sly. I stopped when my back hit the lip of the roof on the opposite side and I simply stayed quiet. I didn't really move, other than blink, and I certainly wasn't about to start a conversation. Sly was right, Erik had tried to kill me. He would have succeeded too if Sly hadn't been there to snag me before I smacked into the ground. I saw Sly crouch down next to me and placed his paws on the side of my face. His thumbs brushed across my cheeks and over my lips before her brushed my hair from my face. My ponytail had fallen flat after I was thrown to the ground and slapped and now my hair was a mess.

"Ramona," I met Sly's gaze as he tried to get my attention, "Talk to me." he kept his paws on my face and kept running his thumbs over my fur, trying to get an answer from me. I placed my paws over his and he smiled briefly. His smile faded when I pushed his paws away and I started to let my emotions get the better of me.

"You were right," I mumbled, "You were right." Fresh tears started to stream down my face and I felt my paws start to shake. He put his paws back on my face and quietly hushed me.

"Listen, I'll have him arrested but until then let's take you home and-" I shook my head and pushed him away again.

"No, no, no, no, no," I chanted, "I don't want you to arrest him." I shook my head.

"Ramona, he just tried to kill you and you just want to let him go?" I shook my head again and explained.

"No. I want him arrested but I don't want _you_ to arrest him!" I shouted as tears streamed down my face, "You're not supposed to be a cop Sly! You're a thief you're not supposed to work for Interpol! You're not supposed to be dating my sister! I'm not supposed to work with Erik! We're not supposed to fight! We're not supposed to! We're supposed to work together but we're not!"

"I know," he whispered before he pulled me into a hug but I fought against him. The last thing I wanted to do was try and make amends. I wanted to be alone. I wanted, no needed, to get out of Paris and start over.

I shook my head and jumped over the edge of the building and used my claws to slide down the edge of the building. Sly's head peered over the edge of the building and called after me. I ignored him and started strutting sown the street. I planned on getting out for tonight then pack up my stuff and move tomorrow. I had to leave the city. I had too many bad memories and too much heartbreak in the city for me to stand anymore. I had no idea where I was going to go but I had to get out of France in general. My boots clicked against the paved streets of the city as I was determined to get out of the city. I roughly wiped my eyes with my sleeve as I passed over the bridge leading out of the city. The full moon reflected in the water below as so did Sly's reflection. I heard him run up behind me and his paws stopped me in my tracks. He turned me around and looked me in the eyes.

"Where are you going?" his paws stayed on my waist.

"Away," I said simply, "I'm getting away from Paris. I'm getting out of France. I can't stay here anymore." I turned to get out of the city but was stopped when his grip tightened on my waist. I swatted at his arms but he held firm.

"Where are you going to go, Ramona? Cortex still controls your section of Australia, you can't go there. All of your family is in Paris. You don't have anyone to go to." He was right, Australia wasn't an option but I was leaving the city no matter what.

"I don't need to stay with anyone! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" I snapped. I tried to pry his paws from my waist but they stayed. He was gripping me firmly, not so that it hurt but enough to keep my in my place. His grip wasn't as firm as when he held me in place in the mausoleum, which was hard enough to leave a bruise, but it was tight.

"I know you are. You're a strong person, but you're unstable emotionally right now. With Erik trying to kill you then what your sister did. What I did to you didn't help but you are emotionally unstable, Ramona." I growled at his statement and pulled away but I didn't go anywhere.

"I'm not emotionally unstable!" I shrieked, "I am perfectly fine! Now let me go!" I pulled away again but he still held firm.

"You don't have anywhere to go!" he shouted. I stopped struggling and glared him down.

"I don't care," I spat, "I've lived on the streets before and I'll do it again if I have to! As long as I can get away from Erik, I can get away from Carmelita, and I can get away from you."

"I didn't do anything to you!" I growled and swatted at his arms again.

"Oh really?" I sneered, "So you consider breaking my heart doing nothing to me? Telling me that you didn't have feelings for my sister then end up dating her couldn't possibly hurt me? Becoming a cop then trying to arrest me doesn't hurt me? Shooting me while trying to arrest me doesn't hurt me? Lying to me doesn't hurt me? Feeling my head with empty promises doesn't hurt me? Warning me about an assassination attempt and doing nothing until after it's over doesn't hurt me? Bruising my wrist doesn't hurt me or continuously rubbing my face after I get slapped doesn't hurt me? You've hurt me, Cooper and you've hurt me deep." I yanked his paws off my waist and I stormed down the street with Sly following behind me.

"I've told you I didn't intend for things to end like this!" he shouted behind me.

"Then you should have changed it! If you didn't want to be with my sister then you should have broken up with her a long time ago. If you didn't want to be a cop you should have quit. If you wanted to be with me then you should have said so," I spun on my heels to face him, "If you really want to be with me and if you have the feelings for me you say you do then just tell me. Say the words 'I love you' or 'Ramona, I love you' or 'I love you, Ramona' or anything like that and I won't leave. I won't pack my things up and I'll stay and I'll tell you how I truly feel about you. But if you can't then I'm going home, packing up everything I own, I will move away, and you will _never_ see me again. So tell me, _Constable_," I hissed out his title, "Do you love me or don't you?"

"I care for you, Ramona, I really do-" I shook my head and cut him off.

"No, Sly, I don't want any excuses and I don't want any crap. I want a straight answer. Do you love me or don't you?" I was tired of his games. All I wanted was a straight answer and if not, then I was leaving the city. He opened his mouth but he didn't say anything. I inhaled deeply and let it out when he still didn't answer.

"Alright," I choked out, "I get it. You don't feel the same way I do, I get it." I stepped back away from Sly with tears in my eyes, "I'm done and I'm gone." That was it. I knew he didn't love me like I thought he did. That crushed me. I was willing to do anything and give up everything for him but it was obvious he never had an interest in me. Despite what Sly said to me, I could only go along with what Erik had told me. I could only assume that Sly did say all those things about me. Even if it was obvious that he didn't love me in return, I still loved him and I always would.

I guess you could call him my knight in shining armor. Only I didn't think of it like that. The way I figured it was if you had a knight in shining armor, you knew he was too proud to actually go into battle to do anything and would never stand to protect his lady or his personal thoughts. However, if you had a night in dented, un-shined armor, you knew he was in battle and wouldn't be afraid to fight for his woman or his beliefs. So until recently, Sly was my knight in dented armor; a man who I loved, trusted completely, and could always fall back on. But now, I knew I was chasing after some fairytale that would never come true. Now he was just another mark of negativity and heartbreak I could add to my collection of despair and depression. I didn't know where I was going to go after this but it would be somewhere far away. Somewhere I could get away from everyone that had caused me pain recently. Somewhere I could relax and not have to worry about a deranged, scarred man, or a hard-headed sister who wanted you in jail, or a man who constantly plays games with your heart. I wanted to find someone who loved me for me and not something that would be gained by being with me. I just wanted to know that I was loved by someone who would always be there for me; a best friend who I loved and who loved me back.

"Ramona, wait a minute," Sly said after I had turned and started to leave, "Ramona!" he called after me but I kept going forward. I wasn't going to look back and I never would.


	12. Chapter 12: Amends

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well, here's the final chapter! And sorry for the update delay, I learned my best friend is moving out of state next month so I had to spend some time with them before they moved but I did finally update! And I still don't have any new story ideas, with the exception of one oneshot idea, so if you have any ideas please let me know if you have any ideas you want me to do please let me know. So, other than that, please read and review and let me know what you think and how this story turned out. Thanks!_

Chapter 12: Amends

I shivered as I stepped inside the small Paris coffee house. It was getting closer and closer to Christmas Eve and the holiday spirit was certainly in the town. That's one of the things I had missed about Paris, the holidays. I hadn't been in Paris for almost year now and for the first time in a long time, I was finally happy. I kept in almost daily contact with Sitka and Charlotte who still lived in the city but other than that, I had pretty much cut all my ties in Paris. I hadn't talked with Erik, Carmelita, and I certainly hadn't made any contact with Sly. Yes, I was still single but I was happy with it. I had gotten away from the drama in the city and had a chance to actually enjoy what I did again. Sure, I didn't have any competition when I went out on a job, but I could steal things and not worry about being arrested by my sister and Cooper. I didn't know if he was still an Interpol officer and frankly I didn't want to find out. I was over Sly and I had moved on with my life. Now, all the moments I had ever shared with him were now in my memories. I shimmied into one of the booths by the wall and removed my jacket silently.

I had returned to the city to spend the holidays with my family then I was going back to my home in Brazil. I had wanted to get as far away from Paris as I could so I moved continents. I had moved out of my apartment in the city and moved into a small apartment in Rio. I had decided to move there since there was a strong Latin vibe there and being half Spanish myself, it seemed to work. Along with the culture of the city, it was far away from France so it would allow me to truly cut my ties in Europe. That and the fact Rio always had an amazing Carnival season was something else that lured me to South America. Even though I had spent almost a year in the hot and spicy city of Rio, I had really missed the cold winters of Paris. I had missed the snow and the ice that formed on the streets and I missed sipping a hot cup of coffee on a cold day. It was always hot in Brazil and the time I would spend in Paris would be a much needed break. Even though I had been back in town only two days, I already knew that the city had changed.

I slipped my jacket down around my waist and smiled softly when I was handed a menu by the waiter. I took it silently and he walked off while I skimmed over the different selections of coffees and finger foods such as scones and biscotti cookies. I waited for the waiter to return so I could place my order after I closed the menu. I had stopped by to get a quick cup of coffee before meeting Sitka and Charlotte in Sitka's apartment for the holidays. I'd stay at his apartment until Christmas was over then I'd go home at the first of the year. I smiled again when the waiter returned for the menu and my order. I placed my order of a mocha cappuccino and a small order of caramel scones and I watched as the young man walked away to submit my order. I pulled my novel out of my purse and got ready to start reading when one of my old friends stopped by my table. I smiled and offered the seat across from me to the elderly woman. Mrs. Pulaski sat daintily on the seat and smiled softly. The elderly female was someone who I had trusted since I was a child. She and her husband were there for both me and my brother the night when my father was murdered. They were the middle aged couple who had taken us in that dreadful night and then almost thirteen years later they had become my landlords at my old Paris apartment. They were some of the kindest people I had met and I always made time if they wanted to talk.

"It has been so different since you left the city, Ramona." I furred my eyebrows at her comment and cocked my head.

"How so?" I questioned softly. Mrs. Pulaski might be been old, but she always knew what she was talking about. She laughed quietly and continued.

"Oh, you probably don't want to listen to the ramblings of an old woman, but things have been so different. For example, that thief you always rivaled with. You know how he went from being a thief to working with your sister, but the rumor is that soon after you left, he dumped your sister and has gone back to thieving. The rumor isn't that he's gone back to thieving, that parts true, but there's still the question of when he went back," she paused briefly and waited to continue until the water had left. He placed my order on the table then returned to his job, "However, things just aren't the same with him. He's a good thief but he wasn't like he was before; almost as if he missing something. Then there's your sister who works with Interpol; she's changed as well. Rumor is that she's even meaner than she was before. Granted I haven't talked with her, but that's what's going around." I nodded at Mrs. Pulaski's statements. We chatted for a while longer until she said she had to meet her husband down the street and excused herself.

I said goodbye to the elderly ferret and turned my attention to my cappuccino and scones. I pulled my book out of my purse and began reading while I sipped my coffee drink. My eyes passed over the sentences in the novel but they weren't registering in my mind. I kept going back to what Mrs. Pulaski had just told me. According to her, it sounded like Sly was going through what sounded like a mid life crisis. This was a turn of events for me. Just before I left, Sly was the one who was on top of the world and happy where I was the one falling apart. Now, it seemed that the tables had turned and I was the one who was happy and now he was falling apart. I mentally debated on whether or not I would hunt and him and figure out what was going on but in the end I decided against it. If I really wanted to turn my life around then I would need to keep away from everything that had brought me down before, including Sly. However, that entire thought bubble was about to pop in my face. After flipping a page in my novel, the sense of someone standing next to my table was overbearing. I glanced up and almost dropped my book from my grasp.

"…Sly…" I mumbled when my eyes met his. He nodded slowly and motioned with his paw to sit across from me. I thought quickly and hesitantly allowed him to sit. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to being wrapped around his finger but I did want to find the truth behind Mrs. Pulaski's rumors. I tightly gripped my coffee mug in anticipation and studied his features. If I had to sum up his appearance in one word, I'd simply say he looked ruff. He looked stressed and like he hadn't slept in days. He looked completely different than he did the last time I saw him. The last time I saw him was that night on the bridge after Erik had tried to kill me. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn't love me and I had moved on. Yes, I still loved him but did I think I could ever make it work? No, I didn't. Even though I didn't think we could ever be a couple, I still wanted to smooth things out between us. He was always a rock for me to lean on when I was a thief in Paris and I had met him when we were children. But, I didn't want to be that close again for one reason. If I got that close to him again then I was only setting myself up for more heartbreak and that was something I didn't want to go through again. All I wanted to do was smooth things out with him; nothing more and nothing less. I watched as he sat silently, avoided eye contact with me, and picked at the table with his thumb.

"There's a rumor going around that you were back in town," he said eventually, "and now I see it's true." He sounded horrible. He sounded tired, stressed, and frankly depressed.

"Well half true," I muttered, "I'm only staying here for the holidays then I'm going back home." He nodded and finally looked me in the eyes. Now that he was in front of me, I could see just how tired he really was. His eyes were bloodshot and he had bags underneath his eyes.

"Are you still in France or have you relocated?" I leaned back and sighed softly.

"This is my first time back in France since last Christmas. So yeah, I've completely relocated." He nodded again and I sipped my drink.

"Where'd you go? I know you couldn't go back to Australia and you just said you're not in France." I put down my cup and thought.

"Here, there, and everywhere." I had only stayed in Brazil but I didn't want him to know that. I wanted distance from him; not to be closer, "What do you want, Sly?" I didn't mean to sound rude but I didn't want to put up with any of his games.

"I wanted to try to talk things out with you," he sighed out, "You and I both know that we didn't end things well and I don't want to fight with you anymore," my ears perked, "We both know that you left in a huff and I didn't really get the chance to answer you." I felt my fur bristle and forced my cup down.

"I had every right to leave in a huff!" I hissed softly. We were still in a restaurant and I didn't want to start and uprising, "And I gave you a chance to answer me without giving me crap, Cooper! But instead you just stood there with your mouth open!" he hushed me softly.

"This is what I'm saying, Ramona. We can't talk without getting mad at each other," my fur flattened and I started to calm down, "Listen to me, I screwed up. I screwed up big time and I know it," he sighed and I tensed when he squeezed my paws and kept his own over mine, "I'm sorry, Ramona, I'm sorry. I know apologizing to you in a coffee shop isn't going to cut it, but I don't want to loose the friendship we had; I want to get it back. I'm sorry, Ramona." He paused like he was going to add something else but he stopped; just like he always did. He released my paws and leaned into the seat behind him. I nodded and we sat in silence.

"Alright," I mumbled, "I'm still mad at you Sly, but I do forgive you. And I don't want to fight anymore either, but you hurt me. You and my sister hurt me in worst way possible and you broke me."

"I know we did," he said softly, "and I'm sorry for that too. I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but I did break it off with your sister. After you left the city, I did some serious thinking and I realized that I stabbed you in the back worse than I'd thought before. So, I quit Interpol, broke things off with Carmelita, and I went back to the gang. But thieving isn't fun without you, Ramona. I don't have any competition and I don't have anything to keep me on my game. But I don't want you to think that I'm only involved with you because you are competition. What Erik told you last Christmas was all a lie. I never said anything negative about you. He was lying to you and I know he was trying to drive us apart. But I think it was starting to work," he grabbed my paws again, "Now I don't know if you want to go back to the way things were but I'm all for it. But I never said anything bad about you." He squeezed my paws gently and smiled. I watched as he stood from the seat and turned to face me one more time.

"And if you want to go out on a crime run before you go back home," his old, cocky smile returned to his face, "I'm always open if you want someone to go with you." I found myself smiling in return.

"I'll think about it, Sly." He winked and I watched as he made his way out of the coffee shop. After he was gone I mentally slapped myself. I was falling for his stupid charms again. I couldn't fall for his smooth talking or I would end up crushed just like I always did. But then again, I did want to be friends with him again.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I pulled myself up onto the roof of the museum from the inside. It was Christmas Eve and the night was perfect for stealing. People were off from their jobs to spend the night with their families and there was no one inside to stop me. Even if I was just visiting the city, temptation was too great for me to pass up stealing something in my old town. I had my sister shut off the security systems inside and I had gone in solo to steal something random. I had searched the museum in and out and eventually decided on a rather large blue sapphire. Before I had come to the museum, I had visited the cemetery and retrieved the bag I had left there almost a year earlier. I ran my paw over the flap of the bag as I inhaled the cold, night air of the city. Snow had completely blanketed the city and Christmas lights were everywhere. The sight was beautiful and everything was completely calm. I held my bag and got ready to pull it over my head so I could go back to my brothers' house until it was snatched from my grasp. I whipped around and got ready to pounce when I noticed the familiar glimmer of gold and the scamper of feet on the snow.

"Cooper!" I shouted with a smile as I looked over the edge of the roof. I spotted Sly standing on the ground, looking up at the roof, and the biggest grin you could imagine spread across his face.

"Ms. Bandicoot!" he replied, "It's nice to see you back out in the field in your home turf! I was starting to think that you were going to leave this glorious and romantic city without taking a souvenir!" I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"It looks to me like you're the one with the souvenir, Cooper!" I heard him bark a laugh and watched as he held his arms out in a challenging way.

"You want your bag back, you've got to come and get it! I'm starting to think you've lost your touch while you've been away, Mademoiselle!" I smirked and huffed.

"You're on, Cooper!" I shouted as I swung my legs over the edge of the building and slid down with ease. He gave me a wink before bolting in the opposite direction. I followed in suit and was determined to chase him down. We both ran down the empty, quiet, nighttime streets of the city and would occasionally slip on a patch of ice. He would occasionally look back to me, smile that overly confident smile he was so famous for, and keep on running. I attempted to round a corner when my feet slid on a large patch or ice and slide past the alleyway. I growled and pulled myself into the alley with a grunt. I heard Sly laugh at the other end of the alleyway and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up, Cooper!" I shouted after regaining my balance. I kept running down the alley until I reached the end. I could see Sly's tail headed for the park and that's exactly where I was going. I ran faster and faster but he was still too far ahead of me to do anything. I jumped the fence of the park and felt my feet hit the snow covered grass. It was dark and Cooper was no where in sight. I walked slowly through the park and looked for the raccoon. He had just disappeared and I had no idea where he had gone. I rested my paw against a nearby tree and tried to catch my breath. Everything was silent and I was completely alone. I was falling for that stupid thief and his tricks again but I realized I couldn't help it. After all this time away from the city, I still loved him. I looked up when I heard rustling in the trees and turned on my heels when two feet landed in the snow behind me. I instantly felt my bag return around my neck and my chest press against his. Sly's arm and cane wrapped completely around my waist while he used the other to brush the hair away from my face. My heart was beating in my chest and I was starting to sweat; despite the icy temperatures of the air around me.

"You're still on you game, Ramona. I have to say I'm impressed." His voice was soft and just above a whisper. I could feel his cool breath on my face and I resisted the shivers that tried to travel down my spine.

"Did you really expect me to loose my edge, Sly?" I tried to stay cool but he was able to see me sweat.

"My dear, there is no telling with you," he smirked and his face was only a few meters from mine, "Just like seeing you sweat on a freezing winter night. How do you explain that?"

"I'm not sweating, Cooper. Why would I be sweating on a night like this?" he chuckled.

"Ramona, your chest is pressed so close to mine to where I can feel your heart beating a mile a minute. I can feel the shivers go down your back and your breathing is erratic," he pressed his free paw to the side of my face and slowly tilted my head to the side while his went in the opposite direction, "I'm proud to say that even over a year of no contact, I can still make you melt. Am I right?" I felt my head move slowly towards his and I knew what was coming.

"No," I whispered, "You can whatever you want and you don't have any affect on me." I could see him smile and I felt my eyelids droop. They were half closed and I noticed his were also. I felt my paws slide up onto his shoulders and tightly grip his shirt as we got closer to each other.

"Maybe," he whispered, "but no matter what I've said to you in the past, there is something very important I need to tell you now," I raised my eyebrows in a response as I found myself unable to answer. I dug my nails into his shoulders and closed my eyes when he closed the small gap between us. For the first time in almost a year and a half, Sly pressed his lips to mine. He was gentle yet caring and I could feel my heart start to beat even harder than it already was. I felt him pull away slightly only to crash his lips into mine again. I sighed softly when he finally pulled away completely but kept our lips close together. I kept my eyes halfway opened as he whispered his message onto lips, "I love you."


End file.
